The Eugenia Chapter’s annual Holiday Pot Luck was held Dec. 14, 2023 at the festively decorated historic Heritage Center. Thanks to all the members who brought such a diverse variety of delicious food items. No one went hungry judging from…
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To Mulch or Not to Mulch
Avoid the unsightly red volcano of mulch pictured above in a photo taken from afar from the yard of Marjorie Shropshire. Too much mulch can stifle root growth, and mulch placed against a plant trunk can be a pathway for…
Kendrick Homestead: 11-17-2021
Marta & Mike Kendrick have a five-acre property with a landscaped pond and mature native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Mature huge coonties (Zamia floridana) grace the back of the house ... A red mangrove (Rhizohora mangle), lovingly cared for Mike,…
Wild Coffees
Florida is home to four species of "wild coffee", three of which we have seen on Chapter visits to members' yards. The Bahama coffee (Psychotria ligustrifolia) pictured above and below in the yard of Fran Robinson generated lots of interest.…
Yard of Kei Andrews & Marc Speiss 2021
Ronan, Kei Andrews & Marc Speiss have transformed their small yard in a gated community into a haven habitat for native plants and wildlife. The diversity in their yard is inspirational and contrasts strikingly with that of their neighbor's yard…
Bahama Wild Coffee
Thank you to Marc Spiess for leading a yard visit at the Environmental Learning Center on Thursday, May 18. The Bahama wild coffee (Psychotria ligustifolia) planted last year along Live Oak Drive was full of flowers and was abuzz with…
Lovely Lignum Vitae
Jim Dryby shared photos of his flowering lignum vitae (Guaiacum sanctum). This endangered plant is native to the Florida Keys. It is slow-growing and spectacular. Check out the beautiful blue flowers.
Atalas Abound
The atala butterfly (Eumaeus atala), once thought to be extinct, has expanded its range likely due the increased use/transport of its larval host plant, coontie (Zamia integrifolia), in landscaping, rearing/releases at Disney Wabasso Beach, and warming temperatures. The photo above…
Terrific teabush
Teabush (Melochia tomentosa) also is called woolly pyramidflowerand broomweed. It caught the attention of everyone who visited the yard of Tom Brown on June 18, 2021. Tom reported that it attracts a bevy of bees, butterflies, and other pollinators including…
Yard of Tom Brown 2021
Not long before we visited the yard of Tom Brown on June 18, 2021, a gopher tortoise had built a burrow in the sandy soil among the native wildflowers in this un-irrigated yard. Plant it, and they will come. Tom…
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