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Promoting the conservation, preservation, and restoration of the native plants and native plant communities of Broward County
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February 2020 Events
Trees Are Cool In Broward County
Providing Benefits and Values in Our Residential Habitats
with John Harris
Wednesday, February 12, 7 p.m.
Secret Woods Nature Center
2701 W. State Rd. 84, Dania Beach, FL 33312
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As Broward faces buildout with only 3% remaining as public natural land (less in some cities). Saving and planting trees (and native landscapes) on public and private land is crucial. John Harris will help us understand the facts and make the case to be persuasive advocates.
John Harris has an MS in Forest Economics. He worked in landscape, arboriculture, forestry, and horticulture fields for over 25 years. He is Principal of Landscape Economics, a firm providing expert damage assessments, economic valuations, work audits, and expert testimony regarding landscapes and land improvements.
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Field Trip: Doris Davis Forman Wilderness Preserve
Saturday, February 29, 9:30 a.m.
7300 Parkside Dr
Parkland, FL 33067
(park safely roadside; entrance on Parkside Dr. south of Riverglades School)
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Doris Davis Forman Wilderness Preserve
Photo: Richard Brownscombe
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These twenty acres of natural land in Parkland were purchased in 1989 and opened to the public in 2001. As in all urban preserves, initial work was needed to remove invasive plant species (and of course, you will see some have returned), but importantly it has an old forest floor under the cover of oak, pine, and cypress. The rich humus carpet supports moss, ferns, and at least 126 native plant species including rare and critically endangered species.
Join us to discover a good and hopeful example of the importance of saving relatively small urban natural areas. This preserve affords us the pleasure of being in a natural place much as it has been for a very long time. And of course, it has scientific and preservation importance.
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Pink, Yellow, and Blue Native Plants
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Florida Keys Blackbead, Pithecellobium keyense.
The "black beads" come in red envelopes (arils) within pods. Florida Keys Blackbead is a large shrub under 20 feet with a broad crown. We use it as a visual screen above the fence line and below wires where height will never be a problem. Pink flowers are native to the Keys. White flowers are native up both the Atlantic coastline (to Marin county) and the gulf coastline (to Lee county). It's a nectar plant for many butterflies and host for a few. Blackbead provides food and cover for birds and other wildlife. Check out Natives for Your Neighborhood for more details. |
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Natives for Your Neighborhood Use Tip
Bookmark this "Advanced Search" link for Natives for Your Neighborhood:
Searching without a plant name allows you to browse through a list of species from particular categories (e.g., wet soils in full sun or groundcovers). If you omit the zip code, you will want to check the species range to ensure that a species is appropriate for Broward or your location (e.g., coastal or inland). Since the database is expanding to include central and north Florida species, you may find on your list species that are wholly unsuited to South Florida landscapes. Nevertheless, Advanced Search is wonderfully useful. Try it with your zip code, too.
Natives for You Neighborhood contains native species with cultivation information and descriptions. If you want to search the comprehensive database of all South Florida native species (and some non-native species, too), bookmark this "Quick Search" link: https://regionalconservation.org/ircs/database/search/QuickSearch.asp
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Bahama Senna, Senna mexicana var. chapmanii
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Bahama Senna is a rather ideal urban small shrub, in part, because it is just 2-4 feet high and about as broad as tall, so it will only need a light trim, if any, even in a formal garden. It blooms a lot in showy yellow. It enjoys sun or partial sun and average soil moisture, conditions suitable to many yards and public places. According to Natives for Your Neighborhood, it is larval host to cloudless sulphur, sleepy orange, and the introduced orange-barred sulphur butterflies. Interestingly, it has a gland at the base of the leaves that attracts ants that attack the butterfly caterpillars (no, not all of them).
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This is a dry hillside on the grounds of Bok Tower Gardens. The bright blue Whitemouth Dayflower, Commelina erecta, attracts attention even from a distance. The flowers are an inch wide and the common name likely references the white pedal between and below the two blue "mouse ears". There is a much smaller non-native species (Common Dayflower, Commelina diffusa var. diffusa) that is "common" in yards. But Common Dayflower is small and lacks the white "mouth". The native Whitemouth Dayflower grows easily in urban yards and seems to tolerate, or even prefer, a bit of water even through in the wild it is usually in drier habitats. It spreads on the ground, often not forming clumps, making it a bit of a challenge to use effectively in urban gardens. Don't try to make it the center of attention. Just let it mingle among other plants (where it still gets the full sun it needs) taking care not to weed it out inadvertently. Then when you have forgotten about it, in the summer, or nearly anytime, it will reward with a welcome burst of blue.
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Speaker events are on 2nd Wednesdays at 7 p.m. at Secret Woods (except July & August).
Field Trips are usually on a following weekend but they vary,
so always check the Calendar and check again for last-minute trip updates.
Visit Coontie.org for a wealth of information about local plants.
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