Upcoming Chapter Events - Please Scroll Down As These Are Not In Chronological Order

Tuesday, October 10 1:00pm - 2:30pm.

Our first chapter meeting of the 23-24 season is Tuesday, October 10 at 1:00 in the Visitors’ Center at Lemon Bay Park in Englewood. Our speaker for this meeting will be Kristin Hoffschmidt, Florida Master Naturalist and Immediate Past President of Venice Area Audubon Society, who will speak on Native Plants for Birds. This season we are introducing a new social aspect: a BYOP 30 minutes before the meeting. The Bring-Your-Own-Picnic has been popular in the past, and we want to give everyone an extra opportunity to get to know other members before the meeting begins. Bring a light lunch to nibble on while you meet and socialize with us before each meeting. See you then.

Report from Dave Manley on the Coastal & Heartland National Estuary Partnership (CHNEP) 2023 Watershed Summit. Here is a link to presentations by all of the panelists. Panel Recordings and PowerPoint Presentations

Jerry Markussen and I attended the summit June 21 & 22 2023. I attended the morning sessions and Jerry attended all day. The summit speakers shared a wide variety of topics, but a few stood out for me:

Matthew Bunting discussed the conditions under which tarpon emigrate from their nursery ponds (such as those at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve) to the tidal waters of the coast. Dr. Chris Anastasiou shared his “hangover effect” detailing how Hurricane Irma set in motion a succession of events that caused a drastic loss of seagrass on the east wall of Charlotte Harbor. Teresa VanderWaag shared information about a project to restore Alligator Creek in Venice. The Alligator Creek Basin is approximately 11 square miles in size and has been severely channelized in the past. This stream will be restored in a fish-friendly manner. The design phase is wrapping up and financing is in place for (re)construction to begin in 2024.

Read the full report here

2023 Florida Native Plant Society Annual Meeting (YouTube video)

Our theme for the year 2023 is Homegrown National Park®, a concept created by Doug Tallamy, one of the primary movers and shakers in ecology and biodiversity today. The concept is that if every single homeowner in the United States converted half of his or her lawn into native plants, we could create a new national park measuring 20 million acres. His NYT best-selling book, Nature’s Best Hope, laid the foundation of the homegrown national park and sparked the creation of a website of the same name. In the video above "What's the Rush", Doug explains the urgency to set aside 50% of everyones' yards for native plants. More Here

Tuesday, May 9, at 1:00 is our annual BYOP meeting; that is, Bring Your Own Picnic. Pack yourself a picnic lunch and we will have a social meeting so you can catch up with friends while you pick up gardening tips and tricks. Instead of a formal speaker, we will have an informal Q&A, sort of like Show and Tell. Remember that? Bring your favorite hints that make your gardening better or easier and share them with other members. If you have a favorite tool, bring it to show to others. And if you have a question, we’ll have our experts on hand to give you an answer. We’ll also have the last few leftover plants from Plant Native Day in March. These orphans need a lot of TLC and will be available for modest donations, or maybe even free. Meet at the Environmental Center, Lemon Bay Park, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood.

Friday, May 12th, 9:00-11:00 AM Join Mary Davis from the Mangrove Chapter of the FL Native Plant Society for a nature walk at Shamrock Park and Nature Center, 3900 Shamrock Drive, Venice FL. On this walk we will explore the scrub habitat of the Florida Scrub Jay and Gopher Tortoise and learn how the ecology of the area has changed with development and the Intracoastal Waterway.  Bring your phone with the “Seek” app loaded as a tool to help identify the plants and animals we see.  Meet in front of the nature center. For information email mangrovechapter@fnps.org

Saturday, April 15, 9:00-11:00 AM  Join Jeff Weber, Sarasota County Parks Environmental Specialist, for a guided walk at Circus Hammock Preserve. This 22-acre preserve is located at 4572 17th Street in Sarasota, just west of the 17th Street Paw Park. Seasonally dry conditions make this the ideal time of year to explore this shady hardwood swamp forest in search of spring blooms. Those with binoculars may also see a migrating warbler or two! Turn off 17th St at the 17th St Park entrance and drive about 500 ft down the road..Park along the road shoulder at the preserve entrance.  Mosquitoes shouldn’t be too bad, but you may want to bring insect repellent, just in case.  For information email mangrovechapter@fnps.org

Cookout for Conservation

Sunday, April 16 · 12 - 6pm, Myakkahatchee Creek Park, 6968 Reisterstown Road, North Port.

- Burgers and dogs on the grill from 12-3pm! Limited supply of veggie burgers!
- Live rock n' roll by Frank Bang from 2-6pm
- Guided nature walks 12-2pm
- Ticket price includes food and soft drinks
- Beer available for purchase with ID
- Kids 12 and under free
- All proceeds go to The Environmental Conservancy of North Port and Surrounding Areas!
Tickets are $30pp available at Eventbrite.or use your ticket from the rained out date

Tuesday, April 11th, 1:00-3:00 PM The Mangrove Chapter of the FL Native Plant Society will host Insect Photography an educational program presented by Florida Master Naturalist Captain Josh Olive at Lemon Bay Park & Environmental Center, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood.  Plants attract insects with many different lifestyles - including pollinators, sap suckers, leaf eaters, and predators.  All of these insects are fascinating and even beautiful in an alien way.  Josh will discuss methods for approaching, photographing, and identifying these wonderful creatures.  Meet at the Environmental Center Classroom.  For information email mangrovechapter@fnps.org

Sunday, April 2nd, 9:00-11:00 AM Join Anne Risberg from the Mangrove Chapter of the FL Native Plant Society and the Lemon Bay Conservancy for a nature walk at Myakka State Forest, Main Entrance, 2555 South River Road, Englewood.  Take a walk on the 1.5 mile Gordon Smith Trail to discover native plants in Spring bloom. Depending on conditions, about 80 native flatwood and wetland plants may be seen on this trail.  Meet in the parking lot. There is a $2 entry fee.  Bring cash to the parking area if you do not intend to pay online.