Originally named for the Delaware tribes of Native Americans near where this butterfly was discovered, the Delaware skipper is now found throughout the eastern United States. This small, bright orange butterfly is attracted to grassy meadows and wet areas. As part of the Grass skipper subfamily of skippers, its larval hosts are grasses and sedges.
Join us on our Jan. 25 service project as we visit and help protect Seminole State Forest’s Warea Tract. We will be removing invasive Natal grass and learning about the importance of the tract from Forester Mike Martin and Todd Angel. The Warea Tract holds many threatened and endangered species we may have the opportunity to see, including Florida bonamia (Bonamia grandiflora), Lewton’s polygala (Polygala lewtonii), Sweet-scented pigeonwings (Clitoria fragrans), Scrub plum (prunus geniculata) and Scrub buckwheat (Eriogonum longifolium var. gnaphalifolium).
The Florida Wildflower Foundation joined the state’s leading conservation organizations Monday in calling for lawmakers to fully fund the Florida Forever land conservation program during the 2020 legislative session.
Wendy Poag is a Lake County recreation coordinator, responsible for environmental education and the restoration and management of 2,000 acres of public lands. She has been involved with the Florida Wildflower Foundation since 2008. Over the years, she has helped forge a close working relationship between FWF and Lake County, which recently dedicated several acres at PEAR Park, Leesburg, for an FWF weed seed control research project. Wendy leads other Lake County employees and project volunteers in doing quarterly evaluations of the wildflower research plots. Research results are expected in 2022.
Join the Florida Wildflower Foundation on Dec. 7 for our annual Christmas tree cutting event. Forest Service biologist Jay Garcia will introduce us to the Ocala National Forest. Learn how the scrub habitat is being managed and restored. Find out why the Forest Service is allowing people to cut down trees and how it fits into their management plan. Then we’ll caravan to the Christmas tree cutting site, where everyone with a permit will have the opportunity to pick out and cut down their very own fresh-from-Florida sand pine.
The Panhandle Wildflower Alliance’s Fall 2019 newsletter features updates about new wildflower programs, where to see wildflowers in bloom, and much more.
Dr. Walter Taylor presents at the 2014 Florida Wildflower Symposium.