Send a Native Plant Photo to the Daily Sun
email: photos@thevillagesmedia.com
Next Meeting April 12th
Scrub Jay and Florida Native Plants
Landscape Tour 2024
Save the Date June 1, 2024
This year there will be refreshments and native plants for sale. We are asking members to donate pastries and plants on May 30th or 31st. See your newsletter or meeting for details.
Volunteers Needed
Copy this email fnpsthevillagesgmail.com and please volunteer.
We need a team to help plan our programs. Two people are better than one. Volunteer with a friend. Meet interesting new people, and help us find speakers for our regular meetings and our Down South Events. We also need a Vice President to help Sue, our President, juggle all the activities that pop up when you run an organization of almost 200 members.
Other Ways You Can Help.
Yard Pattern Book
Master Planned Communities
In these developments, the land is cleared of everything often scraping down as much as 8 feet destroying habitat and food for wildlife and native plants.
The natural environment is replaced with stormwater ponds and turf monocultures that depend on inground irrigation systems, regular fertilization, and frequent mowing. As a result, these residential landscapes use an average of 990 gallons of water each time the average yard is watered. That is equivalent to flushing a toilet 774 times or running your dishwasher 50 times! This demand is unsustainable and unnecessary.
The conventional landscaping patterns established in most master-planned communities do little to mitigate or compensate for the larger problem of habitat loss of Florida’s natural ecosystems. It also further contributes to the nutrient pollution (Phosphorus and Nitrogen) that negatively affects Florida’s watersheds and surface waters [1].
But don’t lose hope…there is a better way! Our landscapes can promote healthy soils, conserve water, and provide habitat for pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. Our yards can feed our souls.
THE OUTSIDE COLLABORATIVE established this handbook to provide landscape guidelines for sustainable living.
Download The New Yard Pattern Book For Florida’s Sustainable Single Family Homes
UF Herbicide Tolerance Trial has Concluded
Success Read and download results.
Frog fruit (Phyla nodiflora) is a low-growing plant that is about 3 to 5 inches (7.5 to 13 cm.) in height. It is native to Florida. The plants produce a unique flower from May until October that matures to white blooms with five petals on 4-inch (10 cm.) long spikes. Plants are semi-evergreen and have a high wildlife value. It spreads vigorously and flowers best in sunny damp spots but does well anywhere that gets a bit of sun.
Milkweed
Milkweed and Monarchs, from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, concisely explains the monarch's life cycle. Caution: The milkweed native to Ohio may not be native to Florida and may not grow well here.
Monarchs and Milkweed from the Florida Wildflower Foundations The New Yard Pattern Book
Handbook to provide guidelines for sustainable residential development. This book has emerged from the recent OUTSIDE Conference on sustainable landscapes. Download your free copy
Fall out of Love with your Lawn
Lawns are bad for you, your pets and the planet. It’s time to move on to greener pastures.
Nevada Passes Law to Ban Useless Grass
A Sign of Things to Come?
A new Nevada law will outlaw about 31% of the grass in the Las Vegas area in an effort to conserve water amid a drought that's drying up the region's primary water source: the Colorado River.
What is a Pollinator?
Florida Museum, Daniels Lab, presents Museum in the Parks, Learn About Pollinators
Plants for Pollinators
Craig Heugel talks to Tarflower chapter of FNPS about "Florida's Abundant Asters". Asters are fantastic foundation flowers for pollinators in central Florida. They usually produce many flowers over a long period of time.
Membership
Your membership dollars support our local chapter. Join or renew FNPS membership.
Why Grow Native Plants?
What's wrong with the plants the builder gave you? Do local landscapers support Florida ecology? Check out this presentation from the Florida Wildflower Association. The presenter, Doug Tallamy is a well-known entomologist. He has written two best-selling, award-winning non-fiction books - Bringing Nature Home and Nature's Best Refuge.
