Preserving, Conserving, and Restoring the Real Florida Since 1980.
Mar 2020
Inside this issue: Conradina Chapter Meeting Page 2. Carol's Corner Monday, March 9, 2020 Page 3. Calendar 5:30 P.M. Refreshments & 6:00 P.M. Meeting Page 4. Melbourne Botanical Fes- Melbourne Fee Avenue Public Library tival Page 5. KBB Plant Sale "Florida Master Naturalist Program: A Statewide Conservation Effort” by Bert Alm, Advanced Florida Master Naturalist Page 6. Earth Day Page 7. FNPS 40th Annual Con- Bert Alm will tell us about the Florida Master ference Naturalist Program, the local Friends Group and how you can get involved with this educational, Page 8. Chapter Board and News inspirational and fun organization. Bert is an Advanced Florida Master Naturalist and a founding officer of the Space Coast Regional Friends Group of the Florida Master Naturalist Program. Bert and his wife Val moved to Florida in 2014 as part of a job transfer for Bert. After 18 months in Florida Bert decided that there was too much fun stuff to do and retired from Northrop Grumman after a 32 year career. Bert is on the Sea Turtle Transport team and he and Val volunteer at the Brevard Zoo’s Sea Turtle Healing Center. Their greatest joy is facilitating the release of the sea turtles they helped to rehab and make healthy enough to return home. Bert is also the Field Trip Director with the Space Coast Audubon Society. Bert supports the Brevard Zoo’s Florida Scrub-Jay monitoring program doing surveys of the family of Scrub-Jays near his home. Bert also serves as the Treasurer for Hundred Acre Hollows which is a 114 acre green space that was saved from further development. This property is home to many gopher Next Chapter Meeting tortoises and other animals such as deer, bobcats, raccoons and a large variety March 9, 2020 of birds. Bert’s love of nature is evident in all he does. Please join us!
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 2
Carol’s Corner: Micromeria! By Carol Hebert
Just rolls off the tongue doesn't it? Mike-row-mary-e-ah. That is actually this plants genus. The whole name is Micromeria brownei. Well in botany and other science fields the name change. Why? I don't know. Somehow I see this plant also called Clinopodium brownei. I am not sure when the scientific name had changed but Micromeria brownei is the synonyms name. I still call it Micromeria. I do see in all Walter Kingsley Taylor books it is Micromeria. It is in the mint family and has a wonderful minty fragrance. It also has a square stem. Micromeria is a wetland indicator which means it like moist wet areas like marsh, edges of lake and rivers or in moist woods. I just love the smell and the pretty small lavender flowers. My yard is well drained and plants like Dune sunflower (Helianthus debilis) and Goldenrod (Solidago sp.) grow well with no watering. So I lined my tall planter with newspaper and that helps keep the soil moist for a longer amount of time. I know my pictures aren't the greatest but it looks so pretty draping down the side of the container. When it gets too long and I have to trim it I bring the cuttings inside the house and put them in a bowl to add some mint fragrance to the house for a day or two. Keep this in mind when you only have a porch or balcony. It could even be an indoor plant because you want it in a container that hold water. There are no limits to enjoy native plants so - Plant native!
Native Plant Nurseries and Service Providers Hey everybody! Have you planned on, or have you already started planting new native plants in your garden and yard? Have you had trouble finding the native plants and wildflowers you want? Well here are a few links to help you locate what you are looking for. Company / Web link Name / email Telephone Comments Maple Street Natives / Sharon / Brent Dolan 321-729-6857 Native plants NatScape LLC Native Land- Drew Dolan 321-223-6147 Landscape design, installation, consultation and Tree scapes Service Go Native Landscaping Nichole Perma 321-795-3111 Native landscape design, installation, consultation and maintenance Native Butterfly Flowers, LLC Tim / Anna 321-626-7386 Native plants and landscape design Change of Greenery Brendan Healy 321-536-0655 Lagoon friendly landscape designs and installations Florida Native Wildflowers Purchase seeds on-line Ask about gift certificates! Happy gardening.
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 3
Upcoming Events & Meetings
2020 March 7, 2020 Visit the Conradina Chapter FNPS at the Downtown Botanical Fest this weekend Saturday March 7th from 8am-4pm. Monday Mar 9, Conradina Chapter FNPS General Meeting.‘ Florida Master Naturalist Program: A Statewide Con- 2020 servation Effort’ by Bert Alm –Advanced FL. Naturalist, a founder of the Space Coast Reg. Friends Group of FMNP and Space Coast Audubon. Melbourne Fee Avenue Public Library. 5:30 P.M. refreshments, 6:00 P.M. meeting. March 13, 2020 March 13 — 4pm-7pm Palm Bay Library Spring Event at Turkey Creek. Come visit the Conradina Chapter FNPS booth. Monday Apr 13, Conradina Chapter FNPS General Meeting.‘ Native Plants’ by Jennifer Mitchell Ph.D., SJRWM. 2020 Melbourne Fee Avenue Public Library. 5:30 P.M. refreshments, 6:00 P.M. meeting. April 18, 2020 KBB's 3rd Annual LFL Plant Sale. Keep Brevard Beautiful 3rd annual plant sale at Cocoa Riverfront Part from 8 am to 2 pm. April 25, 2020 Coastal Garden Fair and Earth Day Celebration. Held in Satellite Beach at the David R Schechter Community Center 1089 S Patrick Dr., from 9 am to 2 pm. Monday May 11, Conradina Chapter FNPS General Meeting.‘ Non-native plants to remove from your native plant 2020 garden’ by Carey Minter with the Exotic Pest Plant Council (EPPEC). Melbourne Fee Avenue Public Library. 5:30 P.M. refreshments, 6:00 P.M. meeting. May 14-17, 2020 40th Annual FNPS Conference Sunday June 14, Conradina Board meeting (11:00) and Member Potluck Brunch (Noon) Socialize and share food. 2020 A boardwalk tour of Erna Nixon Park after brunch. Hyperlinks go to Conradina web calendar. You can share the calendar events with your calendar by clicking on then and selecting Share and the calendar type.
Help Recycle & Reuse Nursery Pots Members participating in providing native plants for the plant drawing for our monthly meetings are in need of small pots (1 gal or less). Please bring your extra pots to the meeting, we will collect and distribute. Please rinse pots before bringing to the Library. All members are encouraged • to bring native plants to share and • to bring empty pots to pass along Thanks!
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 4 Upcoming Events Downtown Melbourne Botanical Fest 2020 Visit the Conradina Chapter FNPS at the Downtown Botanical Fest this weekend Saturday March 7th from 8am-4pm 1900 S Harbor City Blvd, Melbourne, FL 32901 Melbourne Main Street is pleased to present our fourth annual Downtown Melbourne Botani- cal Festival from 8 am to 4 pm, Saturday, March 7, 2020. The Festival will be held in the park- ing lot of the 1900 Building, 1900 S. Harbor City Blvd in Melbourne. The event will showcase plant and garden vendors offering trees and plants, decorative items and more. Funds generated by Botanical Fest will support Melbourne Main Street programs. https://www.facebook.com/events/2512583458838853/?active_tab=about
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 5 Upcoming Events KBB is looking for donated native plants and edible plants (pineapples, elderberry, papaya, etc.) to sell at this event and the proceeds go to their Fl Friendly signs. Donated plants should be dropped off at KBB the week of the event up to the day before and labelled. KBB is located at 1620 Adamson Road, Cocoa, Fl 32926 Conradina will be there!
Mark your calendar for KBB's 3rd Annual LFL Plant Sale! This year we will have vendors, music, food, workshops, and of course plants! We are looking forward to another successful and fun year.
• If you have an environmental themed business or are a nonprofit and would like to have a table at the event, please contact me by email.
• Workshop pre-registration will be posted the first week of February so keep an eye on our website and social media pages! If you haven't already, join our LFL Homeowners private Facebook group! https://www.facebook.com/groups/207467296559434/?ref=bookmarks --Plant donations will be accepted starting the last week of March.
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 6 Upcoming Events
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 7 Upcoming Events
https://www.fnps.org/conference
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org March 2020 Conradina News Page 8
Officers and Directors Chapter News President Carol Hebert Conradina Chapter, FNPS offers UF/IFAS Florida Master Nat- Vice President uralist Program scholarship each year! Jo Sarmiento Secretary The scholarship is good for one of the seven Florida Master Natu- Kathryn Merry ralist Program courses and must be used before the end of one year Treasurer from the award date. Jane Higgins Scholarship Applicant Criteria: The applicant should be a Brevard Chapter Representative Martha Steuart County resident, a current member of Conradina Chapter, FNPS Board of Directors At Large and have the time and commitment to fully participate in the class. Jim Baldwin Sharon Dolan Want to apply? Cammie Donaldson Lynda Geraci • Write a one to two paragraph narrative as to why you want to Lenoard McCray Jr. participate and how you would potentially use this knowledge in Sara Morrison promoting environmental education. Karen Moser Bo Platt • Send the above narrative and the completed application to Suzanne Valencia Stewart Weimer Kathryn Merry, Conradina Secretary at KathrynMer- Carl Winebarger [email protected]. David Zeitz ______Membership Chair Conradina volunteers were at the Florida Friendly Landscaping Seminar at Lynda Geraci Eau Gallie High School and UF Extension Agency. Conradina members that Webmaster volunteered were Kathryn Merry, Lynda Geraci, Jo Sarmiento, Bo Platt, and Stewart Weimer Carl Winebarger Newsletter Editor Thanks for your efforts in educating the public at this event. Stewart Weimer
Conradina Chapter Florida Native Plant Society www.conradina.fnpschapters.org
Florida Native Plant Society www.fnps.org
www.conradina.fnpschapters.org