News Blog

Saturday, December 3, 9:00 AM. This is a tour of Bill Dunson's Manasota Key yard. In less than one acre there are (or were) more than 165 species of plants, some of which were severely damaged by Hurricane Ian. We’ll compare the very distinct results for different species with your own experiences and consider how landscaping should be modified to cope with future storms. Address is 2535/2545 N Beach Rd, Englewood. This is located almost exactly 0.5 mile north of Englewood Beach Park so you can park there and walk, or park along the roadsides, but be sure to stay off the bike path. By that time, hopefully, most of the storm debris piles will be gone. If you have questions, please email Bill at wdunson@comcast.net .

The focus of the walk will be on the different effects that hurricane Ian had on various plants, and how to plan your yard for the future.  Although you certainly do not need to have an extensive knowledge of plants to understand and benefit from this evaluation, the list is provided for those who want to add to their knowledge.  Bill Dunson's plant list.

Before the hurricane, Friends of Lemon Bay Park had purchased over 70 native plants to enhance the gardens at the park. The plan had been to have a blitz day when employees from throughout Sarasota County would plant all the plants. Hurricane Ian changed all that as employees were deployed to repair damage to all the Sarasota County parks.

Mangrove Chapter has volunteered to step in and plant these native plants. Planting Day will be Tuesday, December 6, from 9:00 AM until we finish. If you’d like to help but are not able to dig holes, you can help with watering, carrying tools, and other lighter tasks. If you can help for only an hour or two, that’s fine. Every pair of hands helps get the plants in the ground. 

We hope to get everything planted in one day. Nathalie Smith, Park Manager at Lemon Bay, will furnish coffee and treats, and Mangrove Chapter will provide sub sandwiches for lunch.Please wear closed shoes and bring plenty of water. A hat, sunscreen, and insect repellent are recommended. Please bring your own gloves and tools if you have them: shovels, trowels, watering cans, and so on.

If you can help, please let us know at mangrovechapter@fnps.org . This is just to help us determine how much equipment we will need—and how many sandwiches. You can come even if you didn’t email first, and if you are unable to come after emailing, it’s OK.

Saturday, December 17 at 9am - Our first walk this month is led by Florida Master Naturalist Kate Borduas on Saturday, December 17th, 9:00-11:00 AM at Shamrock Park and Nature Center, 3900 Shamrock Drive, Venice. We will see a variety of scrub oaks, many of them hybridized, together with wax myrtle, both lyonias, and a number of other scrub species. Shamrock Park is an excellent example of how managed fire is essential to maintaining a native scrub plant habitat in a developed area. Meet at the Nature Center.

Wednesday, December 28 at 4:30pm. Our final December walk is a sunset stroll led by Dave and Linda Manley from 4;30pm - 5:30pm at Shamrock Park and Nature Center, 3900 Shamrock Drive, Venice. The park has a 1.2-mile paved trail that winds through the central portion of the park and a demonstration garden featuring Florida-friendly plants. Part of the trail is beside the Venice Waterway where dolphins and manatees are seen occasionally. Meet at the Nature Center.

Due to plant loss from Hurricane Ian, the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society is pleased to announce a change to the Landscape Grant which was created to enhance or replace gardens within our Chapter boundaries (Englewood, Venice, North Port, Pt Charlotte) with Florida native plants. Two grants are available: one for private homeowners, and one for public clubhouses, businesses, or non-profit entryways. Grants are limited to up to $100 for private homes, $500 for public, per grant request. The private grant is available for this grant cycle only.

See our Grants page for details and application.

Friday, November 25, 9:00-10:30 AM. Join Bill Dunson and Barb Seibel at Englewood Beach/Chadwick Park, 2100 N Beach Rd. Enter the lower parking lot and we will meet at the southern end of the boardwalk. You must pay online for hourly parking unless you have a county parking pass. https://www.charlottecountyfl.gov/departments/community-services/parks/parking.stml  We will walk an easy short loop of less than one mile using the boardwalk, then back along the street side grassy drainage area. The protected area between the boardwalk and the beach is remarkably natural and will challenge you to identify more than 60 species of plants. Learning to distinguish the beach birds is also fun and not as easy as you might think. Photo: Bay Bean at Englewood Beach

Join Sarasota County Botanist Jeff Weber and Florida Master Naturalist Kate Borduas at 9:00am as they share with you the various native plant wonders to be found at Old Miakka Preserve.  A variety of habitats and species - some quite rare in our area - will make this a fun outing in this environmentally sensitive lands property acquired in 2006 and recently expanded. Jeff and Kate love working together in the field and hope that you can join them for this adventure in native plants. 

Parking is limited and we recommend carpooling. Please wear closed shoes and bring water. To reach Old Miakka Preserve,:take the Fruitville Rd. exit from I-75 east to the very end. Proceed across Old Myakka Rd and follow the dirt road to parking on the right. . The walk starts at 9am and lasts approximately 2 hours.

Friday, November 18, 9:00-11:00 AM. Join Bill Dunson and Barb Seibel at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve, at 3120 Gasparilla Pines Blvd, Englewood. We will hike a loop of about one mile that is roughly cleared from storm debris. Please wear closed shoes and watch out for uneven ground and fire ants. The walk will include identification of native plants, birds, and butterflies, with focus on hurricane destruction and landscaping suggestions to help minimize future damage.  https://lemonbayconservancy.org/wildflower-preserve/ Photo: Monarch at Lemon Creek Wildflower Preserve

Dave and Linda Manley attended the North Port City Commission meeting to accept the proclamation announcing October as Native Plant Month. The request for the proclamation had been submitted earlier and was accepted by the city.

Led by Dave and Linda Manley, our November Sunset Stroll will be Wednesday, November 16 at 4:30 PM at Lemon Bay Environmental Park, 570 Bay Park Blvd., Englewood. While Lemon Bay is a large park, we will walk only the short trip on the boardwalks along the mangrove fringe. We may see wading birds or other wildlife, and with luck, we’ll see the approaching sunset over the bay. Meet at the nature center.

This amazing e-book is made available to us at no cost through the Florida Native Plant Society. We're offering this guide FREE in this critical time, when many Florida residents face replanting all or part of their yards and gardens in the wake of Hurricane Ian. More than a plea to plant native, it offers valuable information about saving water, keeping your soil healthy, minimizing use of pesticides, and saving money while doing all that..

Read more about this FREE PDF download HERE 

Ian’s damage continues to thwart our resolve to return to our traditional meeting place, and for our meeting on Tuesday, November 8, we will meet at the North Port Library, 13800 Tamiami Trail [map]. That is the intersection of Hwy 41 and Biscayne in North Port. Meeting time is 1:30-3:30 due to a technical glitch in reservations. Our speaker is Barbara Lockhart from the Environmental Conservancy of North Port, who will speak on the topic, “Nature Conservation Starts in Your Neighborhood.” We will have our usual raffle, with prize selections as books on plants and gardening donated by our members. We are excited to start a new season and look forward to seeing all of you again. Please plan to join us!