Florida Native Plant Society Blog

As the year comes to a close, many folks rate the past year on items that they've accomplished or good deeds that they've done. This feel-good story, published in the Florida Times Union in Jacksonville shows just how much difference one man made... Read the whole story here:   Willie Browne's Enduring Gift to Jacksonville: Nature Here's a link to the Park Service website for the Timucuan Ecological and Historic Preserve . It includes Ft. Caroline, the Kingsley Plantation (the oldest plantation house in Florida) and miles of wonderful trails through the woods and over ancient shell mounds left from the Timucuan Indians. Even if you don't own acres of undisturbed land to donate, you can, before the year ends, make a pledge to donate time and/or money to The Nature Conservancy of Florida , The Florida Wildflower Foundation , and of course, the Florida Native Plant Society . Read the end of year message from FNPS president Ann Redmond for a run down on the man...

There was a lot to learn at the 2010 Wildflower Symposium presented by the Florida Wildflower Foundation (FWF) held at the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs building in Winter Park. Starting with the annual meeting, we learned that over the life of the wildflower license plate program (since 2000), more than $2.3 million has been raised and the majority of that money has been spent on research. This year the board has decided on a more balanced budget with more money spent on wildflower planting projects--the blue piece of the pie.  (Green: administrative expenses, gold: education, rose: research.) Jeff Caster, FWF president filled us in on the inner-workings of the foundation's activities, the new information-rich foundation website, and how Florida's native wildflowers are enriching lives. Then Brightman Logan reminded us about the importance of plant provenance. Even though the species may be the same, plants that originate from northern stock will not do well in Flo...

Want your county to buy into the valuable economic and ecological impacts of preserving native roadside wildflowers? The Florida Wildflower Foundation has just the thing for you, thanks to FWF Chair Jeff Caster and wildflower enthusiast Eleanor Dietrich, Tallahassee of FNPS’ Magnolia Chapter. The two have developed a “kit” that can be used to persuade your county government to support the growth of native wildflowers. The simple kit includes a fill-in-the-blank county resolution that pledges support for roadside management, including reduced mowing, that promotes the growth and reseeding of naturally occurring wildflowers. An accompanying PowerPoint presentation explains the historical, cultural and ecological importance of Florida’s flowers. Notes embedded in the presentation prompt the presenter to engage the audience and add county-specific information and photos. The presentation and resolution were developed during recent efforts in Wakulla and Gadsden counties to allow wi...