The Florida Wildflower Foundation is pleased to announce the recipients of the 2023 Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden grants. Nine grants were awarded for projects from Palm Beach County in South Florida to Santa Rosa County in the Panhandle.
Sara Burke brings to the Florida Wildflower Foundation board of directors an extensive background in communications. She is passionate about protecting Florida’s environment by creating a revolution in our own backyards!
Get to know Florida Wildflower Foundation member Jeff Weber. Jeff is dedicated to protecting and restoring Florida’s natural ecology in his free time and in his as an environmental specialist with Sarasota County Parks.
Micanopy celebrated its 200th anniversary with a new Pollinator Victory Garden, supported by a Viva Florida grant. The garden will provide food, shelter and habitat for pollinators and be a centerpiece for this historic town.
The Micanopy native plant garden utilizes Florida native wildflowers, grasses and shrubs that provide vital habitat for bees, butterflies and other beneficial insects, as well as seeds, berries and insects for birds.
Five grants were awarded in 2020: Cutting Horse Eco-Center, Bonita Springs (Lee County); Folly Farm Nature Preserve, Safety Harbor (Pinellas County); Orange County UF/IFAS Extension, Orlando; Port St. Lucie Botanical Gardens (St. Lucie County); and Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation (Lee County).
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!
Also known as False mint, Sixangle foldwing (Dicliptera sexangularis) is a modest yet eye-catching wildflower found in coastal hammocks and strands, ruderal areas and mangrove swamps, and along salt marsh edges. It typically flowers spring through early fall, but may bloom year-round. Its bright red blooms are particularly attractive to hummingbirds and butterflies. The plant is a larval host for the Cuban crescent butterfly.
Blue toadflax (Linaria canadensis) is an annual wildflower that forms a delicate sea of lavender when in bloom. It is common along roadsides, and in pastures and other disturbed areas.
Keep your eyes open for Cloudless sulphur butterflies! Monarchs aren’t the only ones migrating this time of year. Fall is a wonderful time to see the Cloudless sulphurs in flight on their southern migration.
The Micanopy Pollinator Garden, planted a year ago with over 500 native plants, has flourished into a vibrant haven for pollinators and a community favorite.
Research Wildflowers are disappearing throughout the world. It’s urgent that we discover what they need to thrive. To do this, the Foundation conducts horticultural research and assists students studying wildflowers. Student Support Our University of Florida endowment is developing tomorrow’s scientists. Search Literature We’ve compiled an index of scientific literature on 290 common Southeastern wildflower…
