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What's in Bloom
In July, you see Coral Honeysuckle (Lonicera sempervirens) drawing in the humming birds. Not only is this woody vine great at covering almost anything, if you plant it where it's happy, it blooms for most of the summer.
Mimosa strigillosa, or Sunshine Mimosa is a popular ground cover for impossible places. ITs finely divided leaves form a mat covering many square feet, and it will cover more each year. A perennial of open disturbed sites, it occurs in Georgia southward to south-central Florida. Its powder puff pink flowers peak above the foliage spring to fall. At home in hot sun and dry places, it was surprisingly one of the only plants to survive after 2 months under water in the Liberton's WIthlacoochee River Landscape.
Give a gift that gives on giving by purchasing a FNPS gift membership for only $25.00. For a membership form, visit http://www.fnps.org
Are you getting your Sabal minor on-line? If not, the Society may not have your correct e-mail address. Please send it to info@fnps.org to keep up with all the FNPS organizational news. You can also get the Sabal minor on-line, in pdf and expanded webpage format.
Conservation Corner
Mark Hutchinson, Conservation Chair, was responsible for 25 letters from our Chapter reaching the management of the "big box" stores. We asked for just a few simple things: Stop selling cypress mulch, and offer us environment-friendly alternatives. He also keeps the Chapter up to date on opportunities for advocacy. In a recent correspondence, he let us know that Governor Crist was vetoing the bad bill that would allow destruction of Florida's sea grass beds. We hope that the letters we wrote in response to Mark's call to action were partially responsible.
Mark has been incredibly successful in mustering the Hernando Chapter to action, and raising our profile in local government, and within the Society. His tips for building relationships with county commissions will appear in Sabal minor, and related resources will be shared with all the Chapters.
July Program of the Hernando Chapter
Garden Party!
featuring Members and Friends of the Hernando Chapter
Monday July 14, 2008 – 7:00 pm
Hernando County Cooperative Extension Service
Rita's Potting Shed, part of the 2007 Garden Party show, brings natives to her yard and all of ours as well. Our garden party photos often feature Rita's plants in their new homes.
This year, we again feature photos of the landscaping efforts of our members. This will be a potluck event; both of food and photos. Members bring digital photos to share of their landscaping efforts and successes which show how they are showcasing native plantings in their yards. Due to the diversity of ecosystems in Hernando County, we see everything from riverfront settings to the high and dry sandhills of the Brooksville Ridge. Some members have brought photos for the past several years, we we get to see the projects progress.
Monthly meetings and programs of the Hernando Chapter are open to the public, free of charge. They are held at the Hernando County Cooperative Extension Office – 19490 Oliver Street (next to the County Fairgrounds) in Brooksville. For more information about this program or the Florida Native Plant Society, contact Cindy Liberton, liberton@earthlink.net or (evenings) 352-583-2384.
Chapter News
FNPS Members serve as Land Management Partners
Management reviews of all public lands in Florida are scheduled on a regular basis, and solicit input from a range of interested parties, including local landowners and members of conversation organizations. The purpose of these reviews is to provide feedback on success in carrying out land management plans, and offer suggestions for improvement.
The Society, a few years back, realized the importance of bringing its voice to management reviews of the public lands of Florida. The Land Management Partnership Sub-Committee of the FNPS Conservation Committee was born, and the Society became vetted as a Conservation Organization by the State of Florida. In other words, along with other organizations such as Audubon and Sierra Club, FNPS members could fill a required spot on review panels.
Recently, our Linda Gasparini (under pressure from Sid Taylor) answered the call when the local forests bordering her home property needed to fill their review committee. For the Withlacoochee State Forest Land Management Review, she represented FNPS, our Chapter, and our region, learned a lot, and found the experience fascinating. During her two and a half days of tours of the properties, she experienced the rare cavern habitats, toured all the corners of the Citrus Tract, visited Radar Hill, Annutelligua Hammock, and saw one of our elusive Florida Black Bear ambling across the road (her husband, George, who begged off, pretended not to be jealous).
Any member with an interest in land management can participate in reviews. Linda now joins Mike Liberton as a listed member of the Land Management Partnership Team from Hernando County. All it takes is a working knowledge of land management issues and procedures, and the ability to spend a few days in the field on behalf of the native plant communities of Florida. If you are interested in putting your name in the hat for upcoming reviews, let your Board know by writing us at hcfnps@gmail.com And be sure to visit the Partnership page at http://www.fnps.org/pages/programs/programpg.php?keyword=Partners
Here you will find a wealth of information about Florida's public lands and links to information about their management.
