Next Meeting is December 12, 2025
Location: Big Cypress Recreation Center
Date: January - May, 2nd Friday of the month
Time: 1:00 - 3:30 pm
Google directions to Big Cypress
3110 Hendry Dr, Wildwood, FL 34785
DECEMBER 12 — Plot to Plate: A Green Thumb Guide to Growing Edibles
Ellie Creigh, Owner of The Growcery Store 
http://thegrowcerystorebus.com
Ellie owns and operates “Growcery” in Mt Dora which she started as a converted school bus that she renovated to be a fully funtional mobile gardening hub but has now grown in size. Come listen to Ellie talk about her own property where she teaches everything you need to know to get your yard started. Ellie Creigh will tell you all you want to know about growing your own food.
Ellie emphasizes the importance of soil preparation, especially in Florida, where sandy soil can pose challenges. Her advice for beginners is simple but critical: “Get set up right,” she says. “Do your research. Get the absolute best soil, make sure watering is consistent, it’s getting full sun, and you’re planting at the correct time of year for your area.”
Previous 2025 Meetings
NOVEMBER 14
Designing Your Dream Landscape.
Teresa Watkins http://www.she-consulting.com
From your first wish for a beautiful garden to designing the perfect Florida landscape, Teresa takes you through all the design aspects, site conditions, and horticultural details, to think about to create your own dream landscape. Sharing her own professional landscape design experience, Teresa will provide insight and common sense to every phase of landscape design and examples for Florida’s weather, low maintenance, and environmentally friendly practices.
October 10, 2025 Meeting
Logging Florida's Virgin Long Leaf and Bald Cypress Forests: A Cultural History
Jeffery Forbes, Development coordinator for the Alacua Conservation Trust (ACT) . Prior to ACT, Jeffery spent 10 years with the Goodwin Heart Pine Company of Micanopy and holds a BA in Anthropolgy from the College of William and Mary. Between1870-1930, 23 million acres of Florida's longleaf pine forest was reduced to a mere fraction. Jeffery helped us discover how and why this ecosystem was devasted and how ACT is helping restoration.
www.alachuaconservationtrust.org
September 12, 2025 Meeting
The Villages Water Vikus
Ryan Schoel vikuswater.com
May 9, 2025 Meeting
Conservation Efforts along Florida's Wildlife Corridor.
Willy Thelosen, Manager of Putnam Land Conservancy
The Putnam Land Conservancy is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving and protecting natural lands in Putnam County, Florida. Their mission focuses on preserving the county's unique ecosystems, wildlife habitats, and natural resources through land acquisition, stewardship, and community engagement. The Ocala Forest is part of their impact area.
Willie Thelosen, CEO and Director of Putnam Land Conservancy, shares how a wildlife corridor is linked to preserving ecosystems, maintaining wildlife habitat, and what it means to be a steward. How does a Conservancy engage the community while preserving lands in perpetuity?
Notes from meeting:
Willy took questions throughout his presentation. The goal is to develop a corridor or path of protected land for wildlife to travel between The Everglades to the Okefenokee Swamp in Georgia freely, without endangering the wildlife of human life (i.e. wildlife crossing roads). Currently only about one-half of the area, 10 million acres out of 18-20 million acres, is protected. These protected acres include State and National Parklands. In 2021, Florida legislature passed the Florida Wildlife Corridor Act to encourage and promote investments in areas that protect and enhance the Florida Wildlife Corridor. This Wildlife Corridor would allow for our aquifers to be recharged and for resilience against intensifying storms. It is critical for wide-ranging wildlife like the Florida panther (endangered) and black bears (protected). There are a number of programs to help conserve land including the state-run Florida Forever
Wildlife Corridor
If you are new to Florida, the focus on wildlife corridors and land trusts is different than the parks in your former hometown. Been in FL for a few years? Find out the status of the wildlife corridor.
Putnam County is north and east of The Villages. Palatka is the county seat.
The conservancy works to maintain the ecological integrity of the region by collaborating with landowners, government agencies, and other conservation groups. Their efforts contribute to the broader goals of environmental preservation and sustainable land use in Florida.
Putnam Land Conservancy’s conservation efforts along the Florida Wildlife Corridor and native plants that live there will be presented by Willie Thelosen.
Stunning mural transforms Ocala’s water tank into a celebration of nature. The project was possible through partnerships with organizations including FAFO, the Florida Wildlife Corridor Foundation, and Ocala Main Street.
April 11, 2025 Meeting
Aquatic Plants in Your Landscape
Gabrielle "Gabbie" Milch serves as the Middle Basin Advocacy Coordinator for the St. Johns Riverkeeper organization, focusing on environmental advocacy and education within the central region of the St. Johns River basin, encompassing Orange, Seminole, Volusia, Lake, and parts of Marion Counties. https://lwvoc.org
With over 35 years of experience in water and soil conservation, Gabbie has held various roles, including President and Consultant at Urban Habitats, Sustainable Landscape Designs and Systems, and Residential Horticulture Agent at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF IFAS) Extension.
She serves as the Vice Chair for the Seminole Soil and Water Conservation District, Group 4. https://seminolesoilandwater.org
Gabbie is an advocate for Florida-friendly landscaping practices to reduce water and land pollution and is an avid paddler who loves the outdoors and Florida's waters. https://lwvoc.org
January 10, 2025 Annual Meeting
Election
"Installing and Maintaining a Native Landscape in The Villages," by Stephen Turnipseed, founder of our Chapter and a continuing contributor in field of Florida native plants.
February 14, 2025 Meeting
A presentation about the gardening information available on the State FNPS website. In addition, Alycyn Culbertson will update us on big happenings at The Villages Butterfly Club.
Butterfly Club Presentation
To kick off our meeting we welcome Alycyn Culbertson and congratulate The Fred Funk Butterfly Gardens, winners of the North American Butterfly Association's inaugural Lana Edwards Garden of the Year Contest in its public garden category. More than 50 butterfly species have been spotted in the garden, which is considered one of the largest, if not the largest butterfly gardens in the state of Florida.
Alycyn is a long-time member and past vice-president of The Villages FNPS and is president of The Villages Butterfly Club. Alycyn is a true gardener, landscaper, conservationist, writer, and educator. She volunteers at the Fred Funk Butterfly Garden. She speaks at garden clubs, retirement homes, The Enrichment Academy, and Camp Villages. She is a true proponent of raising milkweeds to help save monarchs.
The Butterfly Club is having a big CELEBRATION of the now nationally acclaimed garden on Friday, July 23 at the garden. There will be a plant sale and silent auction including booths from some of the local nurseries selling their own plants and items—more info to follow in our newsletter in the coming months. See volunteer opportunities at the garden in Section 5.
Gardening information on the State FNPS
Following Alycyn will be a presentation and slide show of what’s available on the State FNPS.org website.
Documents covering Gardening with Natives include:
Learn about where you live
Why Native Landscapes are Important
Native Turfgrass
10 Plants for Successful Landscapes
Native Plant Profiles – including Growing Conditions and Distribution within Florida
Links to back issues of the Sabal Minor
Links to back issues of the Palmetto
March 14, 2025 Meeting
"Tips for Preparation, Planting, and Maintaining your Native Landscape", by Amanda Martin, a recognized Landscape Architect and Owner of Grounded Solutions.
Founded by Amanda Martin, Grounded Solutions, has been designing and installing Florida Native landscapes since 2012. Recognizing the difficulty in maintaining native landscapes without an understanding of how the plants would grow, Amanda began including a maintenance plan with all her designs. Over the past 12 years, she has been able to observe native plants as they grow in the wild and in the urban landscape. Join her in navigating the preparation, installation, and pruning schedule of a native landscape.
Biography Amanda has extensive experience in multiple areas of horticulture in Florida. She has designed several home landscapes including members on our landscape tours and a winner of a FNPS Landscape award.
