Why plant natives?
Landscapes with natives have adapted to Florida’s wet and dry seasons. Once established, they will require less attention as you planted them in an environment similar to their local habitat. Native plants have co-evolved with native butterflies, birds, and other wildlife, creating a living landscape that connects us to nature and creates a sense of wonder.
The Mission of the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) is to promote the preservation, conservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.
Native Plant Education
Many people are "plant-blind" -- to them plants are the green stuff. What we know little about tends to be valued less. The Nature Coast Chapter teaches people about the plants that we live with and why they, and the native plant communities around us are important.
Learn about this and more in our Resources
Native Ecosystem Preservation and Management
When we convert native plant ecosystems to subdivision and farms, we lose the native plant communities that they supported. The same thing happens when we withdraw management - some systems become overgrown losing wildflowers that need light, some get taken over by non-native invasive species. Did you know that most of the really bad weeds that you see are non-native? If we remove mangrove forests along our coastlines, we increase the chances that hurricanes will cause increased coastal erosion because the natural thicket sof protective mangrove roots are gone.
Learn about this and more in our events
Sustainability, Bringing Nature Home
Local actions can make a difference. When we change our landsaping to include native plants grown with techniques that minimize the need for added water and fertilizer, we can and do minimize our footprint on our environment.
Did you know that how you manage your property can affect natural resources that we all treasure such as our clear stream and clean beaches? One of the reasons the Nature Coast Chapter supports using native plants in the landscape, is that, if one chooses a pallate of plant species adapted to the local soils and climate, we can greatly minimize the use of fertilizers and supplemental water.
Supporting Pollinators and Butterflies
Plants are enormously important to insects a huge number of which rely directly on native plants. Dis you know that the larvae of monarch butterflies depend exclusively on native milkweeds? Studies are showing that there is a close relationship between insect abundance and native plants? They co-evolved together. Recent studies shown that we are losing our insects, both in terms of the number of species and in terms of their numbers locally. The Chapter events, and additional programs provided by FNPS, are designed to educate our members and the public.
Supporting Wildlife
Wildlife depend on native plants and native plant habitats. Some wildlife are herbivores (deer). Some are insectivores (most birds feed their babies insects even in species where the adults eat grains, fruits, or animal prey). You can attract hummingbirds a feeder, but they need places to nest, insects to feed their young, to rest and hide, and nectar that is more nutrition than sugar water from a feeder. Our chapter provides support to teach people how to keep wildlife in our natural areas and how to build habitats in urban ones.
Enjoying Nature
We get out into the woods, into our parks, into our swamps, into other wild lands. We have field trips lead by local botanists and ecologists. Contribute by being a participant. Lead trips.
Learn about this and more in our events
Diversity Within
Filling our mission is non-politcal, and it needs all of us. We are non-political. We are multi-racial. We are multi-ethnic. We welcome anyone who shares our mission.
Community
An important aspect of being in this type of organization is that you gain a community of like-minded people to support you. We provide means, such as our meeting and field trips. We also provide easy ways to connect online.
