Chapter Events

October

13, Tuesday, 1:00-2:30 PM.  Mangrove Chapter Monthly Membership Meeting.  Lemon Bay Park, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood.  Jono Miller, Sarasota County land conservation advocate, will speak about the upcoming ballot referenda in Sarasota County for extending the Environmentally Sensitive Land Protection and Park Programs. 

15,  Thursday, 9:00-11:00 am.  Meanderings at Audubon-Pennington Nature Park,153 Alton Rd, Port Charlotte. The object of this program is to introduce attendees to the native plants that exist in this area.  You will learn to identify native plants by its leaves and flowers and what plants are not native.  For more information, contact Barb Siebel at leftyb3@comcast.net.

17, Saturday, 11:00 – 2:00 pm.  Alligator Creek Fest.  South Venice Yacht Club, Venice.  We will have an exhibit with information about and sale of native plants.  Join us!  For more information, contact Kristin Hoffschmidt at mangrovekristin@gmail.com.

20 and 21, Tuesday and Wednesday,  8:00 – 9:30 am.  Cedar Point Plant Survey.  Cedar Point Environmental Park, 2300 Placida Road, Englewood.   For more information, contact Barb Siebel at leftyb3@comcast.net.

November

10, Tuesday, 1:00-2:30 PM.  Mangrove Chapter Monthly Membership Meeting.  Lemon Bay Park, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood.  Mangrove Chapter grant recipients will present their projects with lessons learned about native plant gardens in our area.

11, Wednesday, 9:00-11:00 am.  Meanderings at Myakka State Forest,  2555 S River Rd, Englewood.  The object of this program is to introduce attendees to the native plants that exist in this area.  You will learn to identify native plants by its leaves and flowers and what plants are not native.  For more information, contact Barb Siebel at leftyb3@comcast.net.

17 and 18, Tuesday and Wednesday,  9:00 – 10:30 am.  Cedar Point Plant Survey. Cedar Point Environmental Park, 2300 Placida Road, Englewood.    For more information, contact Barb Siebel at leftyb3@comcast.net.

23,  Monday, time TBD.  Join the local naturalist and plant expert, Jeff Weber at Old Miakka Preserve.  He will give us a tour of the Real Florida. Meet at the preserve entrance off Fruitville Road, east of Verna Road/Myakka Road, Sarasota.

December

8, Tuesday, 1:00-2:30 PM.  Mangrove Chapter Monthly Membership Meeting.  Lemon Bay Park, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood.  Bruno Kapacinskas, Government Affairs Regional Manager at the Southwest Florida Water Management District, will talk with us about water resources in our area.

9, Wednesday, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Meanderings at Ann & Chuck Dever Regional Park, 6791 San Casa Dr,  Englewood. The object of this program is to introduce attendees to the native plants that exist in this area.  You will learn to identify native plants by its leaves and flowers and what plants are not native.  For more information, contact Barb Siebel at leftyb3@comcast.net.

11,  Monday, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join Mary Davis for a walk at the Manasota Scrub Preserve, 2695 Bridge St., Englewood.  Join us to learn more about our amazing and unique Florida ecosystems as we explore the mosaic of plant communities that are typical of the SW Florida Flatwoods Ecoregion.  Meet at the preserve kiosk.

15 and 16, Tuesday and Wednesday,  9:00 – 10:30 am.  Cedar Point Plant Survey.  Cedar Point Environmental Park, 2300 Placida Road, Englewood.   For more information, contact Barb Siebel at leftyb3@comcast.net.

22,  Friday, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join Mary Davis for a walk at the South Brohard Park, 1900 Harbor Drive, Venice.  We will walk the estuary, dunes and surf as we talk about our coastal habitats.  Meet at the boardwalk near the parking lot entrance.  Wear shoes that can get wet and sandy.  Bring a bag for litter pick up.

Monday, June 22, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join Dr. Mary Davis of the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and UF/IFAS Sarasota Extension Service for a walk at the recently opened Sleeping Turtles Nature Preserve South, 2800 State Route 777, Venice.  Learn more about our amazing and unique Florida ecosystems as we explore the mosaic of plant communities that are typical of the SW Florida Flatwoods Ecoregion.  Meet in the new parking lot off River Road.

Friday, June 12, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join Dr. Mary Davis of the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and UF/IFAS Sarasota Extension Service for a walk at Pinebrook Park, 1251 Pinebrook Road, Venice.  We will see a remnant Longleaf Pine forest and discuss the conversion of the local longleaf pine forests to slash pine.  Meet at the kiosk near the pickleball courts.

Monday, May 25, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join Dr. Mary Davis of the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and the UF/IFAS Sarasota Extension Service for a walk at the Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center, 570 Bay Park Blvd., Englewood.  Learn more about our amazing and unique Florida ecosystems as we explore the transition from coastal mangroves to upland scrub.  This event is free and all are welcome to participate. For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Tuesday, May 19, 9:00-11:00 AM.  The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society invites you to join us at the UF/IFAS Extension Twin Lakes Park Demonstration Garden for a guided walking tour led by Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ educator Forest Hecker and UF/IFAS Residential Horticulture Agent Ashley Ellis. Meet at the Green Building, Twin Lakes Park, 6600 Clark Rd, Sarasota, FL 34241.

The Twin Lakes Park Demonstration Garden showcases a diversity of Florida native including groundcovers, bunch grasses, vines, wildflowers, shrubs and trees and serves as a hands-on example of Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ practices for Sarasota County homeowners. The site features a diversity of garden spaces that demonstrate how to successfully incorporate plants into full sun and part-shade areas, low-irrigation landscapes, and wildlife-attracting gardens. Designed to reflect common residential conditions such as sandy soils and seasonal rainfall, the garden offers practical, transferable ideas for home landscapes. Visitors will also learn about sustainable landscaping practices, including proper mulching, integrated pest management (IPM) strategies, and landscape approaches that help reduce stormwater runoff. Together, these gardens provide inspiration and guidance for creating resilient, attractive, and environmentally responsible landscapes. 

Wednesday, May 13, 9:00-11:00 AM.  The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society invites you to join Dr. Ava Lasseter and Barb Seibel for a morning of Botanical Meanderings at Lemon Bay Park, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood. The group will meet in front of the environmental center. The slow pace of this plant identification “walk” allows plenty of time to identify and photograph native plants along the trail. Event is free and all are welcome to participate.  For more information, contactmangrovechapter@fnps.org. 

Tuesday, May 12, 1:00 PM.  The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society invites you to join us at Lemon Bay Park and Environmental Center, 570 Bay Park Blvd., Englewood, for our Chapter's monthly meeting and program. This month we welcome the President of the Serenoa Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society for a presentation about ethnobotany. He will explore how Florida native plants have historically been used by Indigenous peoples and early settlers for food and practical survival needs. Come early for social time beginning 12:00 p.m.  This event is free and all are welcome. For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org 

Friday, May 1, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and member Dr. Mary Davis for a walk at the T. Mabry Carlton Jr. Memorial Reserve, 1800 Mabry Carlton Pkwy, Venice.  Mary will tell us about managing local ecosystems that help protect the Myakka River and local water supply.  Meet at the first parking lot on the right. This event is free and all are welcome to participate. For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Sunday, April 19, 10:00 AM – 4:00 PM.  Stop by and say hello to the Mangrove Chapter at Englewood’s Earth Day Festival at Buchan Airport Park, 1390 Old Englewood Road.  We will have native plants for sale and educational literature to share. 

Wednesday, April 15, 9:00-11:00 AM.  The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society invites you to join Alicia Irvin and Barb Seibel for a morning of Botanical Meanderings at Sleeping Turtles Nature Preserve South, 2800 State Route 777, Venice. The slow pace of this plant identification “walk” allows plenty of time to identify and photograph native plants along the trail. Meet in the new parking lot off River Road.