Home in Hernando
The sandhills of Hernando County are showy in fall in the Croom Tract of the Withlacoochee State Forest. Florida paintbrush (Carphephorus corymbosus) help paint the scene.
It's natural to love Hernando County
The Hernando Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society shares information with citizens who are interested in learning about Florida's native plants, their ecosystems, and all aspects of biological diversity.
Together, we learn how landscaping with native plants has a minimal affect on the environment. By using native plants, chemicals are eliminated, maintenance is reduced, water is conserved, and habitat is provided for wildlife.
Plant enthusiasts become acquainted with plant species that make their home in Hernando, and the types of conditions they prefer. Whether you best appreciate these plants in the natural landscape or the home landscape, we know you'll enjoy the Society.
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, November 4, 2024, 6:30 PM
South Brooksville Community Center
601 E Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601
Monthly Meeting and Public Program:
Plant-pollinator networks in fire-maintained sandhills
by Johanna Freeman, Ph.D., Terrestrial Habitat Research, Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, FWC
Our November program will address plant-pollinator networks in fire-maintained sandhills, with baseline data and management recommendations for Withlacoochee State Forest and beyond.
In Florida’s fire-dependent longleaf pine savannas – as in terrestrial ecosystems worldwide – the mutualistic interaction networks formed by flowering plants and pollinators are of fundamental importance for the maintenance of biodiversity. Florida is part of the North American Coastal Plain floristic province, which is considered a global biodiversity hotspot due to unusually high vascular plant diversity and endemism.
The pollinating insects of longleaf pine savannas likely play a central role in maintaining this high overall biodiversity, and they are also a diverse group in their own right, representing several prominent insect orders: Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths), Hymenoptera (bees and wasps), Coleoptera (beetles), and Diptera (flies). Despite their ecological importance, the plant-pollinator networks of longleaf pine savannas have received little study.
The purpose of this project is to begin filling critical baseline data gaps regarding sandhill plant-pollinator networks and their relationships to prescribed fire and vegetation management regimes. The Citrus and Croom tracts of Withlacoochee State Forest were among 17 sandhill preserves sampled for this project between 2019 and 2022. Analysis of this dataset is currently underway, and preliminary results suggest that strategies to promote specific keystone wildflowers will be beneficial to the conservation of sandhill plant-pollinator networks throughout Florida.
About our Speaker
Johanna Freeman has been studying the ecology and conservation of Florida’s terrestrial ecosystems for nearly 20 years. Her research focuses on integrating fire ecology, plant community ecology, and landscape ecology to inform and improve conservation management. She serves as the Terrestrial Habitat Research team leader for the Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, a division of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. She has a BS in Natural Resources from Cornell University, an MS in Interdisciplinary Ecology from the University of Florida, and a PhD in Forest Resources and Conservation from the University of Florida.
Related Resources
Logistics – Our regular monthly meetings are held on the first Monday of most months. They are notorious for intriguing topics and a great light supper. Arrive the South Brooksville Community Center at 6:30 pm for snacks and socializing; the formal meeting and program starts at 7:00 pm. The South Brooksville Community Center is located at 601 E Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601. Contact us at hcfnps@gmail.com
About our venue. Join us at the South Brooksville Community Center, 601 E Dr Martin Luther King Jr Blvd, Brooksville, FL 34601. This facility is on the East side of Brooksville proper at the apex of Jefferson (US 98) and Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
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Get to know us,
get to know your county
get to know your county
Our meetings are held the first Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. At each meeting we discuss native plants and native plant ecosystems. Subjects range from hummingbird gardening to black bear habitat.
Each meeting has delicious snacks, and friendly company, native plants on display, and an information table. Please join us for a meeting.
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Visit the Garden
Nature Coast Botanical Garden,
Florida Native Plant Demonstration Garden
1489 Parker Ave, Spring Hill, FL 34606
We encourage you to visit the Florida Native Plant Demonstration Garden during all seasons. There are many opportunities to study Florida's native flora.
For example:
The buzz on pollinators. The populations of many pollinators have declined due to loss of habitat and the plants that they depend on for food. The garden highlights native wildflowers you can plant in your yard to attract and support butterflies, bees, and other pollinators.
Attracting wildlife. Wildlife requires cover, food and water, and depends on native grasses, shrubs and trees to help provide. You can plan to attract and protect the birds and bunnies through creating natural areas for biodiversity to thrive and achieve its natural balance. The garden provides examples.
The right plant for the right place. Several areas of the Native Plant Garden feature plant species that are found growing in the sandhill and hammock ecosystems of Hernando County. See how you can bring the natural beauty of the Nature Coast into your home landscape and learn about native species that may work best for the conditions on your site.
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2024 Calendar of Monthly Meetings and Public Programs
We are busy gearing up for 2025. Our schedule follows – please mark your calendar! We look forward to the good times and good learning in the coming year. These are the first Mondays of the month, except for New Year's Day and September due to Labor Day.
January 6
February 3
March 3
April 7
May 5
June 2
July 7
August 4
September 8 (moved back due to Labor Day)
October 6
November 3
Join us in the field
We also offer guided field trips to help celebration the natural beauty that is Hernando County. We hope you'll decide to join in!
Embrace the Mission
Preserve
Hernando County is home to a wide variety of natural areas from coastal scrub to the sandhills of the Brooksville Ridge to the cypress swamps of the Withlacoochee. Our fieldtrips explore the diversity of our landscapes and their habitats.
Conserve
Through research and advocacy the Society seeks to ensure that natural landscapes are set aside to protect native plants and their habitats. Join us as we speak out for native plants and the wildlife that depends on them.
Restore
Returning Florida's native plants to the human landscape is a critical action for increasing biodiversity and protecting pollinators and other wildlife. Our planting projects help point the way.