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

Monday, February 10, 9:00-11:00 AM.  Join the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and member Dr. Mary Davis for a walk at Sleeping Turtles Preserve North, 3462 Border Rd., Venice.  Learn more about our amazing and unique Florida ecosystems as we explore ecology and history of the oak/palm hammocks of the Myakka River floodplain.  Meet at the preserve kiosk.  This event is free, and all are welcome to participate.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Please join the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Dr. Bill Dunson for a guided walk at Curry Creek Preserve East.

For further information see https://www.sarasotacountyparks.com/home/showpublisheddocument/39125/636815810602330000

This is a beautiful 81 acre natural area with long leaf pine flatwoods along the banks of Curry Creek/Blackburn Canal.  Address is 1500 Pinebrook Rd, Venice, FL 34285.  It is an easy walk of about one mile and our leader Dr Bill Dunson will point out plants and animals of interest.  We will especially be looking for any early blooming flowers, the rare pond apple, and bioindicators of wetlands and mesic pine flatwoods.  The history of the canal constructed about 100 years ago between the coast and the Myakka River and its problematic nature for the environment will be discussed.

Please join naturalists Dr Bill Dunson and Corky Dalton for a guided nature walk about one mile in length. The walk is sponsored by the Mangrove Chapter of the FL Native Plant Society.   This is a fantastic newly proposed park of about 40 acres currently owned by the WCIND as a former dredge disposal site for the Intracoastal Waterway.  It contains a series of hard surfaced biking/hiking trails as well as sandy/grassy trails.  There are areas of trees and more open areas with abundant gopher tortoise burrows and a long stretch along the ICW. Our guides will point out animals and plants and discuss the past and future of this little known remaining vestige of old FL in downtown Venice.  

This event is free and open to the public. However, due to limited parking, reservations are required. For parking instructions and reservations email wdunson@comcast.net  

Join the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and member Dr. Mary Davis for a walk at Deer Prairie Creek Preserve South, 10201 South Tamiami Trail, Venice.  We will be learning more about common plant families and how to identify them in our SW Florida Pine Flatwoods Ecoregion.  Meet at the parking lot at the end of the entrance road. This event is free, and all are welcome to participate.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Join the Mangrove Chapter of the FL Native Plant Society and member Dr. Bill Dunson for a guided walk at Don Pedro Island State Park on the Cape Haze Peninsula, Charlotte County, FL.

This is not a high-profile natural area.  https://www.floridastateparks.org/parks-and-trails/don-pedro-island-state-park  If people know anything about it, they would think that it is simply a mainland gateway to the island park and a convenient place to rent and launch kayaks.  However, it is much more as an example of the fast-disappearing coastal habitat mixture consisting of salt marshes/mangroves and mesic and hydric pine flatwoods.  We will walk a 1.5-mile trail to experience this fascinating mixture of natural landscapes and consider the major ecological concepts that are revealed..  

The salt marsh on the southern end of the park is an excellent and quite rare example of its type.  There are various "halophytes" or salt loving plants that are typical of areas not dominated by mangroves.  These open areas are likely maintained by periodic fire that spills over from the adjacent pine flatwoods.  The causeway extending across the mangrove zone out to Lemon Bay provides a fascinating cross section of this habitat with close views of the plants and animals.

Many animals specific to this area can be seen in the park.  The most characteristic butterfly is the mangrove buckeye which is only found in the tidal zone and adjacent areas.  It is relatively recently separated as a species from the widespread common buckeye.  

The address is 8450 Placida Rd, Cape Haze, FL 33946.  There is a $3 parking fee. This event is open to the public.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Join the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society at Twin Lakes Park, 6700 Clark Rd., Sarasota for a tour of the Educational Outreach Gardens with Horticulture Agent Ashley Ellis and Florida-Friendly Landscaping Educator Forest Hecker.   Ashley and Forest have been planting native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers to provide accessible public demonstrations of these underutilized plants. Learn about some of the cool species planted as part of these demonstration gardens, with unusual specimens such as Mangrove Mallow, Wild Star Apple, and Wild Tamarind to name a few. Meet in the lobby of the building and feel free to browse while waiting.  This event is free, and all are welcome to participate.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society invites you to join us to learn about “The Environmental Conservancy of North Port and Surrounding Areas,” at the Frances T. Bourne Jacaranda Library, 4143 Woodmere Park Blvd., Venice, FL 34293.  Founder of the conservancy Barbara Lockhart will relate her journey acquiring 43 parcels across North Port, Englewood, El Jobean, Harbour Heights, Port Charlotte and Deep Creek, for the preservation of neighborhood green/wild spaces, and how she is educating the public about conserving native plant and animal spaces.  Come early for social time @ 12:15pm.  This event is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Join the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and UF/IFAS Sarasota Extension Service for a guided walk by Dr. Mary Davis at the South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve, 6200 Osprey Road, Venice.  We will learn more about our amazing and unique Florida ecosystems as we explore the transition from coastal mangroves to upland scrub.  Parking is limited so carpooling is advised. This event is free, and all are welcome to participate.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Join Dr. Bill Dunson from the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Lemon Bay Conservancy for a New Years morning nature walk on Manasota Key Beach. We will park in a private yard on the bayside and walk along the beach to observe the progress of on-going beach restoration after Hurricane Milton. We will identify plants and animals seen and enjoy the beautiful Gulf beach. We will debate various scenarios for the future of the island ecology and long-term human habitation. This event is free, and all are welcome. but reservations are required with a limit of 20 people. Carpooling is strongly advised. Contact Bill at wdunson@comcast.net to be placed on the list. Directions to the parking area will be provided.

Join Dr. Bill Dunson from the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society and Lemon Bay Conservancy for a nature walk at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve to explore the following questions.  What are native plants and why are they important to habitat restoration?  This is not actually a simple question to answer for two reasons- 1. Defining native vs non-native is not a black and white matter, and 2. Assuming you recognize the advantages of using some non-natives as sources of flowers, fruit and foliage, what criteria are acceptable to use some non-natives in our landscapes?  This event is free and open to the public.  For more information, contact mangrovechapter@fnps.org.