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black butterfly with yellow stripes on white daisy-like flower

Bloom Report: Spanish Needles – Nature’s Pollinator Magnet (and Laundry’s Worst Nightmare!)

Florida is home to seven native species of Bidens, all of which are commonly known as Spanish needles or Beggarsticks. While pollinators love them, they often inspire mixed feelings!

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Climate Change and Florida’s Native Plants

From the Apalachicola River Basin to the Lake Wales Ridge and into the Everglades, Florida has many unique plant communities. How each of these ecosystems will respond to a rapidly changing climate is likely to be as unique as those environments themselves.

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Meet board member CJ McCartney

CJ McCartney joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation board in October 2022 and is an inspirational environmental educator making a big impact in South Florida!

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Leave a lasting legacy

August is National Make-a-Will Month. While wildflowers and wills may seem to have little in common, they have more similarities than one might think. A planned gift is like a seed that grows into a beautiful flower after the first bloom is gone.

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Abundant bright yellow blooms on Lanceleaf tickseed.

Foundation awards 15 Viva Florida grants

The Florida Wildflower Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2024 Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grants.

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2024 Seedlings for Schools Grant Winners

Forty-two Florida schools received native wildflowers in our 2024 Seedlings for Schools grant program. The grants are used to establish campus wildflower gardens that are incorporated into Pre-K through 12th grade curriculum.

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Meet board member Marissa Kaprow

Marissa Kaprow joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation board in 2014 and has served as Treasurer since 2016. She is a CPA and Director of Audit and Assurance Services at Saltmarsh, Cleaveland & Gund.

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Bring on the Butterflies!

Butterflies are perhaps the most universally loved insect — their beauty and grace captivates us and their presence brings us joy. Ecologically, butterflies are also incredibly important! Learn how your gardening practices can bring on and support a wide diversity of butterflies.

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A planting of Tropical salvia in full bloom.

Bloom Report: When seeing red is a good thing!

Our Summer Bloom Report from Jeff Norcini, PhD will have you seeing red in the most beautiful way! Vibrant red native wildflowers brighten the landscape, and those with tubular flowers will attract hummingbirds (and butterflies, too).

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Board member Kody Smith volunteering at the installation of a native plant garden in the City of Longwood.

Meet board member Kody Smith

Kody joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation board in September 2021. He is the CEO and senior principal landscape architect at Dix.Hite + Partners.

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Florida’s spring-flowering tickseeds

In the spring, many Florida roadsides and natural areas are painted yellow with showy Coreopsis, commonly known as tickseed. Florida’s state wildflower, five of our 12 native species bloom in spring.

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Spring “weeds” are for the bees!

While much of the country awaits No Mow May to leave the early spring wildflowers in urban areas for hungry pollinators, Florida more appropriately observes No Mow March! So before you get to work mowing or weeding, let’s look at some of the most common lawn “weeds” and learn a little more about them!

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Invasive Plants in Florida

Florida is uniquely varied in its climate and growing conditions, allowing a huge variety of plants to thrive. But some of the plants common to our home landscapes are invasive species, many of which are now widespread in Florida’s natural areas.

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Cultivating Knowledge and Beauty: Seedlings for Schools Applications Open March 1

Our Seedlings for Schools program will begin accepting applications on March 1, 2024. This program empowers schools across Florida to cultivate vibrant wildflower gardens, fostering educational experiences and connections to nature that extend far beyond the classroom.

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Meet board member Mona Johnston

Mona Johnston joined the Florida Wildflower Foundation board in September 2023, bringing with her an extensive knowledge and legacy of conserving South Florida’s native wildflowers.

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What’s in store for 2024?

January may be coming to a close, but the new year is just getting started and we’ve got exciting plans for 2024. We’re thrilled to give you a look at what’s to come.

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Genetic research reveals rich diversity of lupines in Florida!

In a newly published study, researchers have defined three new species within Florida’s unifoliolate lupines and found further evidence supporting the naming of two previously described species that have not been consistently recognized as separate.

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All the leaves may be brown, but here’s why that’s beautiful!

In winter, many wildflowers go dormant or die back, dropping leaves and leaving brown stems adorned with flowerheads gone to seed. The urge to tidy up may be strong, but we urge you to take a cue from nature and rest!

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Our favorite festive native wildflowers!

Plants play a big role in many holiday traditions – from beautifully decorated trees to bright red poinsettia blooms. Florida has some wonderful native plants that help get us into the spirit of the season.

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How to Start a Backyard Revolution

The Backyard Revolution is a call to action and radical change. It challenges us to rethink our home and community landscapes as places for both people and nature to thrive together.

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Celebrating the Foundation’s Immediate Past Chair, Jeff Caster

As we celebrate the recent election of Sara Burke to chair of the Florida Wildflower Foundation’s board, we want to also thank our immediate past chair Jeff Caster for his leadership.

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Welcoming our New Chair Sara Burke

We are happy to announce the election of Sara Burke as our new board chair during the September board meeting. Burke succeeds Jeff Caster, who served as chair since 2021.

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Fall is golden in Florida

Goldenrods (Solidago spp.) are a traditional harbinger of fall, lighting up the landscape with their bright yellow inflorescences. You’ll find them blooming in showy masses in a variety of habitats including coastal dunes, brackish marshes, wet flatwoods, scrub and sandhills.

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Jeff Norcini photographs a Blazing star flower

Jeff Norcini, PhD honored with 2023 Coreopsis Award

Dr. Jeff Norcini received the 2023 T. Elizabeth Pate Coreopsis Award in August 2023 in recognition of his many years of work for Florida’s Wildflowers.

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