News Blog

Wednesday, January 18th, 4:30-5:30 PM Join Dave and Linda Manley from the Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society for a Sunset Stroll at Ollie’s Pond, 18235 Avon Ave, Port Charlotte. The grassy 1-mile path completely circles the pond and offers wide views of the oak wood on one side and the pine forest on the other. Birds from warblers to waterfowl are bound to be present. This park has no restroom facilities. For information email: mangrovechapter@fnps.org.

Tuesday, January 10th, 1:00-3:00 PM The Mangrove Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society will host “Our Fascination with Birds” presented by Jerry Waters at Lemon Bay Park & Environmental Center, 570 Bay Park Blvd, Englewood.  Jerry is an Advanced Florida Naturalist and a Florida Master Naturalist instructor.   He has been an avid nature photographer for over 40 years, and his talk will emphasize the natural history and ecology of Florida birds. Meet at the Classroom at the Environmental Center.  For information email mangrovechapter@fnps.org

Friday, January 13th, 9:00-11:00 AM Join Bill Dunson from the Mangrove Chapter of the FL Native Plant Society and the Lemon Bay Conservancy for a nature walk at Don Pedro Island State Park, 8450 Placida Road, Placida FL.  The walk will be on a 1.5-mile trail on the mainland section of the park.  This area is an example of the fast-disappearing coastal habitat mixture consisting of salt marshes, mangroves and wet pine flatwoods.  Meet in the parking lot.  There is a $3 entrance fee. You are required to sign a liability waiver.  No dogs or smoking/vaping allowed.  For additional information email Bill Dunson at wdunson@comcast.net.

March 19, 2023, Sunday, South Venice Lemon Bay Preserve- Kenisco entry
April 2, 2023, Sunday, Gordon Smith Trail/Myakka State Forest

These dates are not yet confirmed. Watch here for details.

There will be a nature walk on Sunday Jan. 1, 2023, from 9 - 11 am with Bill Dunson at Middle Beach/Blind Pass Beach Park on Manasota Key; (6725 Manasota Key Rd, Englewood, FL 34223).  The entire walk is less than a mile, on narrow trails and the beach.

We will meet at 9 am in the parking area where the Duisberg Trail starts (https://floridahikes.com/lemon-bay-conservancy-duisberg-nature-trail).  Turn east into the main parking area and take the first left. You are required to sign a liability waiver.  No dogs or smoking/vaping allowed. For additional information contact Bill Dunson (wdunson@comcast.net) 

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. We will view a recent prescribed burn area to see the new growth. Meet at the Nature Center.

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.

This walk has been cancelled.

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.

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

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.

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.