Florida Wildflower Foundation Seeking Volunteers for Wildflower Surveys

Florida Wildflower Foundation Seeking Volunteers for Wildflower Surveys

This year the Florida Wildflower Foundation completed spring, summer and fall surveys of naturally occurring wildflowers along the five-county St. Johns to the Sea Loop trail (Putnam, Volusia, Brevard, Flagler and St. Johns counties), which will soon become the state’s first Wildflower Trail.

In 2010, the Foundation plans to survey other wildflower-profuse areas in the Panhandle and in North, Central and South Florida. The surveys will identify showy areas of native wildflowers in order to document species and suggest management practices. This research also will help us promote Florida’s native wildflowers as economic and intrinsic community assets.

First, though, we need the assistance of residents and visitors to find wildflower sites throughout the state. They can help by sending the following information by Dec. 1 to the Foundation at wildflower.research@gmail.com:

1. Approximate locations of any showy roadside or trailside (paved bike or foot path) native wildflowers seen in Florida during spring, summer and/or fall.

Include:

a. The scientific or common name of the plant species. If the name is unknown, describe the flowering plants’ characteristics (i.e., color, height, growth habit, etc.).

b. The road’s name, as well as a nearby intersection or another landmark that will help us locate the site.

c. The geographic region (defined below) and the city and/or county in which the site occurs.

d. The approximate date of the sighting. If the date is unknown, please include the season.

e. A description of the habitat (i.e., wet ditch, sand dune, pine forest, etc.).

f. Digital photos, if possible.

2. The names and locations of public lands (state, national, city and county parks; water management district holdings, etc.) that have great native wildflower displays, along with species names and approximate bloom dates.

Garden or civic clubs that have planted roadside or trailside native wildflowers can help by sending the planting’s location and a species list.

Geographic regions are defined as:

Panhandle: Escambia, Santa Rosa, Okaloosa, Walton, Holmes, Jackson, Washington, Bay, Calhoun, Gulf, Gadsden, Liberty, Franklin, Wakulla, Leon, Jefferson.

North Florida: Madison, Hamilton, Columbia, Baker, Nassau, Duval, St. Johns, Flagler, Putnam, Clay, Marion, Alachua, Levy, Bradford, Union, Gilchrist, Dixie, Lafayette, Suwannee, Taylor.

Central Florida: Citrus, Sumter, Lake, Volusia, Seminole, Brevard, Orange, Osceola, Polk, Pasco, Pinellas, Hillsborough, Hernando, Sumter, Citrus, Manatee, Hardee, Okeechobee, St. Lucie, Indian River, De Soto, Sarasota.

South Florida: Charlotte, Glades, Martin, Lee, Hendry, Palm Beach, Collier, Broward, Dade, Monroe.

Florida Wildflower Foundation

PO Box 941066

Maitland, FL 32794-1066

407-353-6164

www.floridawildflowerfoundation.org