Florida Native Plant Society

Campaign contributor skips line, gets big payday from Florida governor and Cabinet • Florida Phoenix When you were in elementary school, did you ever have to deal with some rude student who tried skipping to the front of the line? Something like that just happened with Florida’s popular land preserva...

Read the article by @craigtimes.bsky.social in the @floridaphoenix.com: floridaphoenix.com/2025/10/02/c...

We issued an action alert the day prior to the Cabinet meeting (9/29) hoping that the members would listen to reason and not waste limited conservation funding on this property with questionable valuation and limited conservation value. Unfortunately we were not heard.

Our President Eugene Kelly, wrote a letter to the Governor and CFO asserting “the lands in question have virtually NO actual conservation value,” in contrast to the many thousands of acres in existing Florida Forever projects and within the Florida Wildlife Corridor.

Last Tuesday (9/30) the Florida Governor and Cabinet voted to spend $83m of money earmarked for protecting land for conservation to buy four acres in Destin completely outside of any existing conservation land purchasing project area.

Tell Governor DeSantis & CFO Blaise Ingoglia to vote NO tomorrow on the purchase of the Pointe Mezzanine property!

Governor DeSantis (850)717-9337 GovernorRon.Desantis@eog.myflorida.com
CFO Blaise Ingoglia (850)413-3100 Blaise.Ingoglia@myfloridacfo.com

More info: buff.ly/ITgSyUR

We are a proud member of the Reunite the Rivers Coalition. After >50 years, it’s time to breach the obsolete dam & allow the Ocklawaha River to be free-flowing & connected to Silver Springs & the St. Johns again. Pledge to support Ocklawaha restoration. IT'S ABOUT DAM TIME! buff.ly/gmQyXdc

Don't miss this week's Lunch and Learn with Susan Carr, land conservationist extraordinaire! Susan will be presenting on the recent history of conservation land in Florida, focusing on local, state, federal, and private funding mechanisms.

Register here: buff.ly/hPL9aWG

Shoutout to our Pawpaw Chapter, serving Volusia & Flagler for 35 years! From monthly programs & field trips to public gardens & their annual Native Plant Sale & Expo, they’re making a huge impact—and helped make our 2025 FNPS Conference a success.

There's still time! Submit your photos by midnight at fnps.org/photocontest.

📸: Valerie Anderson

Whether you’re photographing plants or the plant people who love them, make sure to get outside this weekend - the FNPS Photo Contest ends on Monday!

Find more details and apply at www.fnps.org/photocontest.

Only one more week to enter the FNPS Photo Contest! Showcase your creativity and love for Florida’s native plants by submitting your best shots.

Visit buff.ly/6xVLtUo for more information and to enter!

📸: Lilly Anderson-Messec

#FNPSPhotoContest #FloridaNativePlants

This August is National Make-A-Will Month, a time to safeguard what matters most. We’ve partnered with FreeWill to offer you a free, secure way to create or update your will in just 20 minutes: buff.ly/KbHVLba

I encourage everyone who cares about Florida's future to get involved in FNPS and include this great organization when planning your legacy."

does for native plants, from running local emergency plant rescues of Pine Lilies in Volusia County to fighting for state conservation and rare plant funding, FNPS has my support as a sponsor of the 2025 Conference, as a member, and in my will planning.

August is National Will Month and to celebrate we are highlighting one of our supporters, Bryon White of Yaupon Brothers American Team.

"I have been a long time supporter of the Florida Native Plant Society and my local chapter, Pawpaw. There is no other organization that does what FNPS

Register here: forms.fnps.org/civicrm/even...

United States due to sea level rise, highlighting cactus and other biodiversity of the Keys, and discussing future challenges. This talk offers both a sobering look at the realities of rising waters and an inspiring glimpse into the efforts to preserve what remains.

🌵 Feeling prickly? Join us for August's L&L this Friday (8/29) at noon EST with Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden's Jimmy Lange. Jimmy will present on his team's experience with cactus conservation in the Florida Keys, including the first documented extirpation of a vascular plant species in the

🌿💚 October is Florida Native Plant Month! 💚🌿
October is the perfect time—flowers are blooming, the weather is cooler, and nature is ready to explore. Join the fun in style with your official Florida Native Plant Month T-shirt! Order today to get yours in time. buff.ly/gsRvW3S

Don't forget to submit your photos to the 2025 Florida Native Plant Society Photo Contest! Deadline to submit is September 15th.

Visit www.fnps.org/photocontest for more information and to enter!

Shoutout to Pais Realty, a proud sponsor of the 2025 FNPS Conference! 🌿 Founder David has spent decades leading Florida’s native plant movement -- now bringing that passion to real estate with a focus on conservation & historic properties. #FNPS #FloridaNativePlants

The cover of the Palmetto, the FNPS quarterly magazine featuring an acorn.

Happy Sunday, plant friends!

The Palmetto is here—perfect reading with your morning coffee. Inside you’ll find a celebration of plants, people, and conservation victories across FL.
🌰 Florida Scrub is Nuts (and Drupes)
🌳 Conservation Advocacy Wins
🌸 A New Orchid in Town
👉 Dive in: issuu.com/fnps/

If you have any cryptogamists in your life who are looking to fund their research, then the time has come! Cryptogams are plants—or plant-like organisms—such as ferns, lichens, and liverworts. Instead of flowers & seeds, they reproduce with spores. For more information, reach out to info@fnps.org.

Today is the start of the Great Southeast Pollinator Census! gsepc.org
Grab a lemonade and a clipboard and watch a plant for 15 minutes, noting who visits it. Submit your results on a form linked on their website. You can participate today, tomorrow, and Sunday.

August is National Make-a-Will Month. Including FNPS in your will helps ensure Florida’s native plant communities have a voice and continue to thrive for generations. Visit www.fnps.org/support/legacy to create your will for free today.

Today, we’re highlighting our friends at the Martin County Chapter, sponsor of our April 2025 FNPS Annual Conference. For over 40 years, MCFNPS has served Florida’s Treasure Coast through monthly programs, public field trips, restoration workdays, and community education.

Learn more: mcfnps.org.

Don’t miss your chance to enter the 2025 FNPS Landscape Awards!

Have you entered your Florida-friendly garden, restoration project, or community landscape yet?

The final deadline has been extended to August 10, 2025!

Visit www.fnps.org/what-we-do/l... for full details and to apply.

Calling all citizen scientists! The Great Southeast Pollinator Census is August 22-23. You only need to count at one plant for 15 minutes to participate.

👀 Get familiar with the counting procedures and how to report your count: gsepc.org
💯 You get a certificate of participation when you're done.

📖 Read it now: buff.ly/0lJyIW3
Let’s make this Current Friday one of connection, learning, and celebration of Florida’s native plant communities. Whether you’re new to FNPS or a long-time member, there’s something in this issue for everyone.
Palmetto Editor: Marjorie Shropshire, Visual Key Creative

🌰 Florida Scrub is Nuts (and Drupes) by Dr. Warren G. Abrahamson (from research conducted at Archbold Biological Station)
📢 Advocating for Native Plant Conservation Yields Noteworthy Successes by Valerie Anderson and Eugene Kelly
💮 A New Orchid in Town by Roger Hammer