The Florida Wildflower Foundation nurtures the awareness, understanding and enjoyment of Florida native wildflowers through conservation, preservation and education.

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Learn to use psychology when talking about wildflowers

Psychology is important when talking to your neighbors about using wildflowers in their landscapes. Learn persuasion tips from Russ Hoffman, who will speak at the 2018 Florida Wildflower Symposium on April 28 in Orlando.

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Sex in the garden - just what's going on out there?

Gardens are such peaceful places: colorful, tranquil, quiet except for the comforting buzz of a bee or the fluttering wings of a bird. Yet they are a hotbed of (we blush) seduction and sex.

“People often look at plants as being boring and passive, and animals as being interesting and active,” says Dr. Craig Huegel, a speaker at the April 27-28 Florida Wildflower Symposium in Orlando. “But plants make the same choices ecologically that animals do, so it makes perfect sense that reproduction in plants isn’t a completely passive thing.”

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Florida Wildflower Foundation

The Florida Wildflower Foundation is the worldwide ambassador of Florida’s native wildflowers.

Plant blindness: Have you hugged a wildflower today?

When was the last time you read a bedtime story about Morning glories to your kids? Or bought them a cuddly stuffed plant? If you’re a typical 21st century individual, the answer is “never.” Plant stories and toys aren’t wildly popular because most people today suffer from plant blindness, an inability to notice the myriad plants in our environment.

Dr. Elisabeth Schussler, the Florida Wildflower Symposium keynote speaker, will shed light on this phenomenon, which she discovered during a research project.

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Spring wildflowers – small is beautiful

Many of Florida’s spring native wildflowers have large, showy flowers –– such as Iris and Purple thistle. But some common ones may be underappreciated because their flowers are small, near the ground, or just positioned on the stem where they may be hard to see. However, they are quite beautiful when viewed close up.

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FWF member takes action with plant give-away

What’s a wildflower gardener to do with those extra seedlings that pop up? Instead of pulling them like unwanted weeds, FWF member Jim McGinity decided to pay it forward. Using an idea reminiscent of a curbside lemonade stand, he repots the wee seedlings and offers them for free to neighbors and passers-by. Not only that, he uses them as welcome-to-the-neighborhood gifts for new residents. It’s an idea we love: What’s more neighborly than sharing the joy of wildflowers?

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Help feed the bees that feed us

Our bees are in trouble, and they need your help. You can plant and preserve wildflowers for bees by purchasing the State Wildflower license plate!

Each time the State Wildflower plate is purchased or renewed, the Florida Wildflower Foundation receives $15 to support native wildflower planting, education and research projects statewide. We depend on the tag to fund the majority of what we do for native, natural Florida. Make your switch now – purchase the tag.

Helping millions of Monarchs by researching the effects of neonicotinoids on caterpillars.

Providing more than 3,000 wildflower plants annually for community park and school gardens.

Providing hands-on wildflower experiences to more than 1,500 students a year.

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The more you know about wildflowers, the more you’ll appreciate how they enrich our lives.

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Young Floridians are learning about our state’s environment and creatures through classroom activities that introduce them to wildflowers and their places in healthy ecosystems. 

Grow native wildflowers

The Foundation is dedicated to discovering and sharing best practices for establishing native Florida wildflowers across our landscapes.

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What’s in bloom

See how Florida’s fabulous wildflowers change seasonably across the state. You’ll find just what you need to be a wildflower tourist, whether you’re on the road or a virtual explorer.

Photos from the field

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Bloom map
Wildflower trips
Wildflowers on Flickr
Flower Friday
Fetterbush (Lyonia lucida)

Flower Friday: Fetterbush

Fetterbush (also known as shiny lyonia) is an erect woody evergreen shrub that produces a plethora of small, fragrant blooms in whitish-pink to pink to red. It occurs naturally in pine and scrubby flatwoods, scrub, dry hammocks, dry prairies, and along swamp and cypress pond margins.

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Protect wildflowers

Want more wildflowers in your county? Learn about wildflower conservation programs and how they apply to your community. Be a wildflower champion!

Wildflower Resolutions

Since 2009, resolutions have been helping Florida’s counties and cities protect roadside wildflowers through management practices such as reduced mowing. Has your county adopted its Wildflower Resolution?

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FDOT Wildflower Program

In November 2016, the Florida Department of Transportation updated its Wildflower Management Program Procedure to include managing roadsides for pollinator habitat.

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Highway Wildflowers

The Highways Bettering the Economy and Environment Pollinator Protection Act (BEE Act) was adopted in December 2015 as part of the Fixing America’s Surface Transportation Act (FAST Act). It calls for the conservation and planting of native habitat along highways that benefits wild and honey bees and butterflies.

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