You can help support funding for Florida's native wildflowers and plants

YOUR HELP IS NEEDED immediately! Legislation that would provide more funds for native wildflowers and plants was passed unanimously by the Florida House two weeks ago. Now it is stuck in Senate "messages." This is the last week of the legislative session, so the bill must get to the Senate floor or it will die.

The bill increases the amount of the Florida Wildflower license plate user fee. During the last few years, our plate sales have fallen more than 20 percent due to increased competition from other tags and the faltering economy. That means more than 20 percent less to spend on projects that benefit Florida. Meanwhile, the demand for educational resources, community grants, roadside projects and more have increased significantly.

If you want to support funding dedicated to Florida's native wildflowers and plants, you can call or email the following senators with this message:
     
PLEASE take up SB 632 so the state will continue to benefit from funds that support Florida’s billion-dollar agricultural industry by providing pollinator habitat. Funds from the Florida Wildflower tag also beautify highways and communities, increase tourism, provide classroom resources, and educate Floridians about landscapes that save water and energy. This license plate works for Florida and helps to create jobs throughout the state.

Your voice can help! Call or email -

* John Thrasher: 850-487-5006, thrasher.john.web@flsenate.gov
* Don Gaetz: 850-897-5747; gaetz.don.web@flsenate.gov
* Andy Gardiner: 850-487-5013; gardiner.andy.web@flsenate.gov
* Joe Negron:  1-888-759-0791; negron.joe.web@flsenate.gov

Please spread the word to all who are passionate about Florida and its natural environment.

We're ‘Putting Wildflower Research to Work’

“Putting Wildflower Research to Work,” a mini-symposium to be held April 4, will provide nursery and landscape professionals with an overview of science-based information on seed germination and storage, propagation methods, and establishment and management of native wildflower plantings. The event will be held from 3 to 6 p.m. at Osceola Heritage Park, 1901 Chief Osceola Trail, Kissimmee.

The educational event, held in conjunction with the Florida Association of Native Nurseries’ inaugural Florida Native PlantShow, features three of Florida’s leading native wildflower researchers: 

• ·       Dr. Hector Perez, a University of Florida seed biologist in Gainesville, who will present the results of his work and its relevance.
• ·       Dr. Mack Thetford, a University of Florida/IFAS faculty member at the West Florida Research & Education Center (Milton), who will talk about his collaboration with Dr. Sandra B. Wilson (University of Florida/IFAS, Indian River REC, Ft. Pierce) to develop 10 new native wildflower propagation protocols.
• ·       Dr. Jeff Norcini, who will present the science behind recommendations for establishing and managing native wildflower plantings.

The cost to attend the event is $25. To pre-register by March 28, please click here. Limited registration will be available at the door (cash or check only).

For more information, contact Jeff Norcini at JNorcini@FlaWildflowers.org.

DeLand's Wildflower & Garen Festival set for March 23

See you at the festival! Photo/Vince Lamb

Come celebrate 500 years of La Florida on March 23 at the Florida Wildflower & Garden Festival in beautiful downtown DeLand. The family-friendly festival, held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. along West Indiana Avenue, will feature speakers, vendors, workshops and entertainment, as well as a coloring contest and hands-on gardening and art activities for kids.
Florida was named by Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de Leon, who landed on its shores in spring 1513 during Pasqua Florida, Spain’s Easter celebration. Roughly translated, La Florida means “land of flowers.” 

Native plant info awaits at the FNPS booth. Photo/Lisa Roberts

DeLand’s mayor, Robert F. Apgar, will kick off the event with a short ceremony at 9 a.m., during which he will present a city proclamation that salutes Florida’s five centuries of history, culture and natural heritage. 

Vendors along West Indiana Avenue will offer potted wildflowers and plants, wildflower seeds, garden utensils, yard ornaments, books and much more. Joining them will be organizations such as the Florida Wildflower Foundation, which will offer free resources to gardeners. There also will be hands-on gardening workshops at Chess Park, which adjoins Indiana Avenue.

Educational presentations will take place throughout the day at the historic Athens Theater, 124 N. Florida Ave., Deland. Among the speakers are Tom MacCubbin, former UF/IFAS extension agent and popular radio and television host of “Better Lawns and Gardens,” and wildflower expert Dr. Walter Taylor, author of three books on Florida’s wildflowers and grasses. A DJ will provide entertainment throughout the day. 

Those attending the festival are invited to take a break at one of the many nearby restaurants or explore unique shops. For a directory, visit mainstreetdeland.org. 

A free shuttle with run throughout the day between the Wildflower & Garden Festival and the DeLand Outdoor Art Festival at nearby Earl Brown Park. Don’t miss the art festival’s 150 booths. 

 2013 Florida Wildflower & Garden Festival sponsors and partners include MainStreet DeLand Association, Florida Wildflower Foundation, University of Florida/IFAS Volusia County Extension Office, Garden Club of DeLand, Quality Green Specialists Inc., River of Lakes Heritage Corridor and Museum of Florida Art.

For more information on the event, visit www.floridawildflowerfestival.com.

Make a donation today and we'll send a gift!

Back by popular demand! Holiday shopping has never been easier - Make a $30 donation to the Florida Wildflower Foundation this holiday season, and we will send the person of your choice this beautiful golden ornament depicting a butterfly flitting above Coreopsis - Florida's state wildflower. 

Donate $50, and we'll send the gift to two people you choose. Or donate $100, and ornaments will be sent to the five people you specify.   

By donating today, you can promote the use, availability and advantages of native wildflowers. Each donation supports education, research, and planting initiatives that support crop pollinators, curb water use in landscapes, reduce water and air pollution, provide wildlife habitat, and maintain a healthy environment for all Floridians. 

The piece measures 2½ x 3¾  inches and is delivered in an attractive green gift box. Also included is a letter letting the recipient know that the gift is from you.

It’s the perfect trinket for a friend, co-worker, employee or holiday hostess! 

Sorry, we cannot ship to Hawaii, Alaska or international recipients.  The Florida Wildflower Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization. Contact us at PO Box 941066, Maitland, FL, 32794-1066; 407-353-6164; info@flawildflowers.org.

Yes, I want to help by donating $30! (One ornament)
Please include name and address of recipient in special instructions box. Want it sent to you instead? Type "Self" in special instructions box.

Yes, I want to help by donating $50! (Two ornaments)
Please include name and address of recipient in special instructions box. Want them sent to you instead? Type "Self" in special instructions box.

Yes, I want to help by donating $100! (Five ornaments)
Please include name and address of recipient in special instructions box. Want them sent to you instead? Type "Self" in special instructions box.

The Foundation is a fully transparent organization, as recognized by the Community Foundation of Central Florida. Please visit our portrait at cfcf.guidestar.org.

ASLA Launches New Online Animation: “Designing Neighborhoods for People and Wildlife”

Transforming residential properties into real wildlife habitats is the focus of a new animation launched by the American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA). The animation—“Designing Neighborhoods for People and Wildlife”—shows how native plants and designed structures provide what nature needs.

Wildlife habitat can be destroyed by development, farms, or mines; or degraded by invasive species, climate change, or pollution so it no longer supports native wildlife. The animation shows that habitat loss, and the corresponding loss of biodiversity, doesn’t have to continue.Starting with homeowners’ properties, fragmented habitats can be rewoven together, creating neighborhoods that are not only healthier for wildlife but also for people. Many residential landscape architects are also helping to stem the losses by creating beautiful neighborhoods that provide habitat for many species.

"We have all heard that ecosystem function must be restored to urban landscapes if humans and the life around them are to be sustained in the future. Using beautiful 3-D animations, ‘Designing Neighborhoods for People and Wildlife’ delivers this message in the most powerful and convincing way I have seen,” said Doug Tallamy, author of Bringing Nature Home: How Native Plants Sustain Wildlife in Our Gardens, professor and chair of entomology and wildlife ecology at the University of Delaware, and an expert advisor on the animation.“We can share our yards with the species that support us and ‘Designing Neighborhoods’ shows us how. May it go viral!"

See for yourself below.