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The purpose of the Florida Native Plant Society is to preserve, conserve, and restore the native plants and native plant communities of Florida.
Official definition of native plant:
For most purposes, the phrase Florida native plant refers to those species occurring within the state boundaries prior to European contact, according to the best available scientific and historical documentation. More specifically, it includes those species understood as indigenous, occurring in natural associations in habitats that existed prior to significant human impacts and alterations of the landscape
(ISSN 0276-4164) Copyright 2025, Florida Native Plant Society, all rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced by any means without written consent of the editor.
Palmetto is published four times a year by the Florida Native Plant Society (FNPS) as a benefit to members. The observations and opinions expressed in attributed columns and articles are those of the respective authors and should not be interpreted as representing the official views of the Florida Native Plant Society or the editor, except where otherwise stated.
Editorial Content
We welcome articles on native plant species and related conservation topics, as well as high-quality botanical illustrations and photographs. Contact the editor for guidelines, deadlines and other information.
Features
4 T he Key Largo Tree Cactus: The First Local Extinction in the United States Due to Sea Level Rise Article by Jerald Pinson
9 Advocating for Native Plant Conservation Yields Noteworthy Successes (Part 2) Article by Eugene Kelly
12 From Turf to Treasure: How One Florida Yard Became a Blueprint for Change in an HOA Community Article by Monaliza Bresko
ON THE COVER:
The Key Largo tree cactus can grow to impressive heights. Photo by Susan Kolterman. See story on page 4.
The Key Largo Tree Cactus:
The First Local Extinction in the United States Due to Sea Level Rise
Article by Jerald Pinson
The United States has lost its only stand of the massive Key Largo tree cactus in what researchers believe is the first local extinction of a species caused by sea level rise in the country.
The Key Largo tree cactus (Pilosocereus millspaughii ) still grows on a few scattered islands in the Caribbean, including northern Cuba and parts of the Bahamas. In the United States, it was restricted to a single population in the Florida Keys, first discovered in 1992 and monitored intermittently since.
Salt water intrusion from rising seas, soil depletion from hurricanes and high tides, and herbivory by mammals had put significant pressure on the population. By 2021, what had been a thriving stand of about 150 stems was reduced to six ailing fragments, which researchers salvaged for off-site cultivation to ensure their survival.
“Unfortunately, the Key Largo tree cactus may be a bellwether for how other low-lying coastal plants will respond to climate change,” said Jennifer Possley, director of regional conservation at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and lead author on a study that documents the population’s decline.
Two Closely Related Cacti Negatively Affected by Environmental Change
C omparatively little is known about Florida’s rare cacti. Researchers initially stumbled upon the Key Largo tree cactus in an isolated mangrove forest, and for several years afterward, its identity remained uncertain. Most considered it to be a unique population of the similarly named Key tree cactus (Pilosocereus robinii ), a federally endangered species that is present elsewhere in the Florida Keys.
The two cacti have a similar appearance. The stems of both shoot up perpendicular to the ground and can grow to be more
than 20 feet tall. Both have creamcolored, garlic scented flowers that reflect moonlight, attracting bat pollinators, while their bright red and purple fruit catch the eye of birds and mammals.
But there are key differences as well, which made Alan Franck, currently the herbarium collection manager at the Florida Museum of Natural History, suspect they were dealing with something unique on Key Largo.
“ The most striking difference is the tuft of long, woolly hairs at the base of the flowers and fruits,” Franck said. The hair is so thick, it can look as though the cactus is covered in drifts of snow. Spines of the Key Largo cactus are also twice as long as they are on the Key tree cactus.
In 2019, Franck confirmed that the Key Largo population was the first and only known instance of Pilosocereus millspaughii in the United States.
By then, it was succumbing to some of the same environmental pressures that had plagued its relative, the Key tree cactus, over the last century. The latter was once common throughout the area, but its numbers have dipped dangerously low.
Writing in 1917, botanist John Small noted that the Key tree cactus “was for a long time very abundant [on Key West]…In recent years, with the destruction of the hammock for securing firewood and for developing building sites, this interesting cactus has become scarce, until at present it is on the verge of extermination in its natural habitat.”
The Key tree cactus was listed as federally endangered in 1984, but its numbers continued to wane. Between 1994 and 2007, it decreased by 84%.
Researchers at Fairchild began monitoring all of the tree cactus populations annually in 2007, working in tandem with
Facing page, clockwise from upper left: The Key Largo tree cactus can grow to impressive heights. Before blooming, the cactus produces thick tufts of matted white hairs, possibly as a means of protecting the developing flower from the sun. After the flower has bloomed and died, the fruits ripen and develop a reddish-purple exterior that attracts birds and mammals. The large white flowers have a mild scent reminiscent of garlic and reflective white petals and reproductive tissue that helps pollinators find them by moonlight. Photos by Susan Kolterman.
The Key Largo tree cactus was initially found growing in the United States in 1992 at a single site. That population has since been lost to a combination of rising sea levels and increasingly intense storms. Photo by Susan Kolterman.
local land managers. One Fairchild-led study showed that salt levels were higher in soil beneath dead vs. living cacti in the years following a storm surge event in the Lower Keys, drawing a clear connection between mortality and increased salinity.
Researchers also initiated a robust conservation collection for these species. Potted cacti are grown at a facility in Coral Gables, Florida, and seeds from both wild and cultivated plants are carefully banked for long-term conservation.
Researchers Study and Rescue the Remnants of a Dwindling Stock
The Key Largo tree cactus grew on a low limestone outcrop surrounded by mangroves near the shore. The site originally had a distinct layer of soil and organic matter that allowed the cactus and other plants to grow, but storm surge from hurricanes and exceptionally high tides eroded away this material
until there wasn’t much left.
Salt-tolerant plants that had been previously restricted to brackish soils beneath the mangroves slowly began creeping up the outcrop, an indication that salt levels were increasing.
Given enough time, these changing conditions would likely have killed the cactus. But other incidents occurred that hastened the pace.
“We noticed the first big problem in 2015,” said study co-author James Lange, a research botanist at Fairchild. When he and his colleagues arrived to evaluate the plants that year, half of the cacti had died, apparently as a result of an alarming amount of herbivory. Cacti store reserves of water in their succulent stems, which allows them to survive for long periods of time without rain. This makes them enticing to animals when other sources of water are scarce.
“In 2011, we started seeing saltwater flooding from king tides in the area,” Lange said, referring to particularly high ocean tides. “That limits the amount of freshwater available to small mammals and might be related to why the herbivores targeted this cactus, but we can’t say for sure. We’d never seen cactus herbivory like this anywhere in the Lower Keys, where flooding has tended to be less extensive.”
The team set out cameras in hopes of finding the culprit, but whatever it was did not return, and there was no evidence of significant herbivory thereafter. Yet, when the team came back the following year, roughly another 50% of the population had died. In response, staff from Fairchild and the Florida
Bats visiting the flowers for nectar brush up against its many pollen-laden anthers. Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage.
Left: Thick hair and spines blanket parts of the Key Largo tree cactus, to the extent that an isolated fragment might not look like it came from a cactus at all. The Florida Museum of Natural History herbarium has a single collection of Pilosocereus millspaughii Florida Museum photo by Jeff Gage.
Department of Environmental Protection took a few cuttings of what remained to grow in greenhouses.
In 2017, category 5 Hurricane Irma swept across South Florida, creating a 5-foot storm surge. The highest point on Key Largo is only 15 feet above sea level, and large portions of the island remained flooded for days afterward. Once the storm had passed, the Fairchild team conducted triage with several cactus populations throughout the Keys, removing branches that had fallen on cacti and salvaging other ill-fated material. Conditions were so extreme that biologists had to put out kiddie pools of freshwater to keep local wildlife alive.
E xacerbating the already degrading Key Largo tree cactus habitat, king tides in 2019 left large portions of the island, including the extremely low-lying outcrop, flooded for over three months.
The population on Key Largo sustained heavy damage during Hurricane Irma in 2017 and afterward struggled to recover. Photo by James Lange.
Cuttings were carefully wrapped in towels for the safety of both the cacti and those handling them. Photo by Jennifer Possley.
Staff from Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and the Florida Department of Environmental Protection removed all remaining green material in 2021 after it became clear the population was not going to survive. Photo by Jennifer Possley.
Developing fruits were caged in a wire mesh in 2021 to protect them from herbivores.
Photo by Jennifer Possley.
By 2021, there were only six Key Largo tree cactus stems left. As it was clear the population wasn’t going to survive, the team allowed the plants to flower and fruit for the remainder of the year, then salvaged all remaining green material and replanted it in greenhouses or controlled settings outdoors. At present, researchers know of no naturally growing Key Largo cacti in the United States.
“We have tentative plans with the Florida Department of Environmental Protection to replant some in the wild,” Possley said.
Similar efforts are responsible, in large part, for the continued existence of the related Key tree cactus in Florida. “The amount of reintroduced material of this species is already more than the amount of wild material that’s left,” Possley said.
But, she added, this may end up being more of a stopgap than a solution. Environments suitable for tree cacti are disappearing along with the plants they support. “It’s generally a fringe between the mangroves and upland hammocks called thorn scrub, and there just aren’t many places like that left where we can put reintroduced populations.”
The decline of the Key Largo tree cactus and the necessity of its removal has given researchers an idea of what to expect in the future as species contend with a rapidly warming world. Instead of a smooth, predictable rise in sea or salt levels, the reality of climate change is messier and manifests itself in a complex series of related events that put additional pressure on species that are already stressed.
“We are on the front lines of biodiversity loss,” said study co-author George Gann, executive director for the Institute for Regional Conservation. “Our research in South Florida over the past 25 years shows that more than one-in-four native plant species are critically threatened with regional extinction or are already extirpated due to habitat loss, over collecting, invasive species and other drivers of degradation. More than 50 are already gone, including four global extinctions.”
Notes and Acknowledgments
The authors published their study in the Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas. Trudy Wilson, Susan Kolterman and Janice Duquesnel of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection and Joseph O’Brien of the USDA Forest Service are also coauthors on the study.
Funding for the study was provided in part by the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services.
References
Franck, A. R., Barrios, D., Campbell, E., Peguero, B., Santiago-Valentín, E., Zoltán Rigerszki, Haakonsson, J., Gann, G. D., Cinea, W., Howe, N., James St. John, Juan Sebastián Moreno, & Clark, C. (2019). Revision of Pilosocereus (Cactaceae) in the Caribbean and northern Andean region. Phytotaxa, 411(3), 129–182. https://doi.org/10.11646/phytotaxa.411.3.1
Goodman, J., Maschinski, J., Hughes, P., McAuliffe, J., Roncal, J., Powell, D., & Sternberg, L. O (2012). Differential Response to Soil Salinity in Endangered Key Tree Cactus: Implications for Survival in a Changing Climate. PLoS ONE, 7(3), e32528. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal. pone.0032528
Possley, J., Lange, J. J., Franck, A. R., Gann, G. D., Wilson, T., Kolterman, S., Duquesnel, J., & O’Brien, J. (2024). First U.S. vascular plant extirpation linked to sea level rise? Pilosocereus millspaughii (Cactaceae) in the Florida Keys, U.S.A. Journal of the Botanical Research Institute of Texas, 18(1), 211–223. https://doi.org/10.17348/jbrit.v18.i1.1350
About the Author
Jerald Pinson has a PhD in Biology from the University of Florida and is a science writer at t he Florida Museum of Natural History.
This article was originally published on July 9, 2024 in the Research News section of the Florida Museum of Natural History website (https://www.floridamuseum.ufl.edu/science/ first-local-extinction-in-the-u-s-due-to-sea-level-rise/) and is reprinted with permission.
Above, top to bottom: The largest stems could be directly planted in the ground. Staff processed the cacti they'd salvaged and divvied up the material so that it could be grown in greenhouses. Smaller stems were planted in pots to be grown in greenhouses. Photos by Jennifer Possley.
Article by Eugene Kelly
Advocating for Native Plant Conservation Yields Noteworthy Successes (Part 2)
In the previous issue of Palmetto (41-2), we learned about the instrumental role FNPS took in securing the passage of the State Parks Preservation Act, and other actions that helped protect native plants and conservation lands around the state. This article highlights additional FNPS efforts that took place during the 2025 legislative session.
Protecting the Headwaters of the Suwanee and St. Marys Rivers From Titanium Mining
F NPS joined an effort in Georgia several years ago to protect the Okefenokee National Wildlife Refuge from the projected hydrologic impacts of a proposed titanium mine. The mine was proposed for the Trail Ridge system adjacent to the southeast boundary of the refuge. Our participation began with a recommendation that the Georgia Department of Natural Resources deny the permit in order to protect refuge wetlands and the headwaters of both the Suwanee and St. Marys Rivers, based on modeled predictions that groundwater levels in the affected area of the refuge would be subject to massive declines.
Several months ago, the United States Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) proposed a Minor Expansion of the refuge that encompassed the proposed mining area on the Trail Ridge. A Minor Expansion, defined as one that would not increase the total land area of the refuge by more than 15 percent, does not require Congressional approval and would allow USFWS to negotiate for the purchase of lands within the expansion area. Concurrently, the Georgia Assembly was considering passage of the Okefenokee Protection Act, which would prohibit the issuance or modification of mining permits on the Trail Ridge. FNPS submitted comments supporting
both measures and although the Georgia Assembly failed to pass the act, the Minor Expansion was approved. Recently, it was announced the owner of the proposed mine site agreed to sell the property to the Conservation Fund, which ends the threat of mining there and opens the door to the lands being made part of the refuge.
We received assurance the Georgia Assembly will consider passage of the Okefenokee Protection Act again in 2026. FNPS will continue advocating for it to become law and provide more definitive and permanent protection of the Okefenokee.
Engaging Actively with the Legislature Paid Dividends
Although securing passage of the State Parks Preservation Act was our overarching priority for the 2025 legislative session, it was not the only piece of legislation of interest to FNPS. As in previous years, we won some and we lost some. The following summarizes some other priorities of our participation in the legislative process.
SB 50 and HB 371: Nature-Based Methods for Improving Coastal Resilience
Senator Garcia and Representative Avila introduced legislation FNPS was pleased to support. Unfortunately, for the second consecutive year, it failed to cross the finish line. After passing all the
required committee stops with unanimous votes, it was postponed on the final day of the session. The law would have directed the Florida Flood Hub for Applied Research and Innovation, established within the University of South Florida, to develop guidelines and standards for the use of living shorelines, e g., mangroves, and green and gray infrastructure, to protect Florida’s coastline from the erosion and flooding caused by storms and sea level rise. It would also have required the Florida Department of Environmental Protection (FDEP) to adopt rules for implementation. The legislature has already allocated hundreds of millions of dollars to increasing coastal resilience. We hope this commonsense legislation will be granted another attempt at passage in 2026.
HB 565 and SB 1822:
Regulation of Auxiliary Containers
F NPS distributed several action alerts to stop this legislation, including one that went only to members residing in the district of a single pivotal legislator. Given its innocuous title, this legislation may not sound relevant to native plant conservation. At its core, the legislation is an invitation to pollute Florida’s coastal wetlands, beaches, spring-run rivers and other pristine natural areas with plastic bottles, aluminum cans and polystyrene fast-food packaging by preempting the
FNPS President Eugene Kelly.
authority of local governments and state agencies to exercise any control over where such packaging would be allowed. Several local governments and several state parks, including Weeki Wachee Springs, Ichetucknee Springs and Rainbow Springs, have chosen to restrict such packaging to reduce pollution and littering. The legislation purported to prevent a hodgepodge of confusing regulations by reserving the authority to regulate such packaging to the state.
F NPS agrees that a statewide standard would be preferable; however, the state is not proposing to impose any restrictions on packaging. The sponsors of these bills were simply catering to the businesses and industries that profit from the use of this kind of packaging. Thanks to session-long outreach by FNPS and our conservation partners, both bills failed to pass all the required committee hearings. The sponsors did not relent and at the end of the session, through a violation of established protocol, amended their language onto an unrelated bill (HB 1609) that addressed the siting of a proposed incinerator in South Florida. We then released an action alert in opposition to that legislation and are grateful to Representative Weinberger, who allowed her own bill to die rather than accept the offending amendment. This is the second consecutive year this legislation was filed and defeated, and we expect it may return yet again next year. Perhaps another legislative priority for FNPS in 2026 should be a push for adoption of statewide standards regulating auxiliary containers.
SB 492: Mitigation Banks
FNPS recommended the governor veto SB 492, entitled Mitigation Banks, because it conflicts with his stated commitment to protect water quality and ameliorate the impacts of flooding. The bill suffers
To help FNPS continue to protect native plants and the conservation lands that support them, sign up for FNPS Action Alerts on the FNPS website (https://www.fnps.org/news/alert/ email-sign-up).
from two major flaws: 1) It allows wetland mitigation credits to be sold before the mitigation has been deemed complete; and 2) It allows those credits to be applied as compensation for impacts in areas outside the service area or basin of the mitigation bank generating those credits.
One of the fundamental principles of mitigation banking is that wetland mitigation should compensate for damage or loss within the watershed or basin where the impacts occurred. We asked the governor to veto SB 492 because it would reverse much of the progress achieved in wetland protection by weakening the standards that make it a potentially successful approach to compensating for wetland impacts. Unfortunately, the governor signed the bill into law.
SB 1300 and HB 1143: Permitting for Drilling, Exploration and Extraction of Oil and Gas Resources
K nown as “Kill the Drill”, this bill will prohibit the extraction of oil or natural gas anywhere within ten miles of the Apalachicola National Estuarine Research Reserve and was filed in response to fears that oil extraction within the area protected under the bill would pose an unacceptable threat to the natural resources of the lower Apalachicola River and Bay system. HB 1143 was passed by the House and accepted by the Senate, and the governor signed it into law after it was forwarded to his office. FDEP just announced their decision to deny issuance of a controversial permit application that served as the impetus for this bill. Now that the bill has become law, it will apply to any future permit applications.
Funding for Land Conservation
Prior to the opening of the legislative session, FNPS joined our conservation partners in asking for a minimum of $500 million in funding for the Florida Forever Program. The Senate’s recommended budget proposed only $100 million, while the House recommended withholding funding entirely. We later asked the legislative leadership to allocate at least $100 million in hopes the House might match the Senate’s proposal. When the two chambers submitted their final budget, only $18 million
was included for land conservation under Florida Forever. They approved $250 million for the purchase of conservation easements under the Rural and Family Lands Protection Program, which is administered by the Florida Department of Agriculture for the primary purpose of keeping the protected lands in agricultural production. Conservation of habitat and other natural resources is of secondary importance. It is disappointing, and we believe unconscionable, for Florida Forever to be starved of funding. More than $1 billion was deposited into the Land Acquisition Trust Fund this year as required by the passage of Amendment 1 in 2017. Two years ago, the legislature approved a statutory requirement that they allocate a minimum of $100 million annually to Florida Forever. They chose to ignore that requirement during this budget cycle. The statutory requirement remains in place for next year, unless they choose to ignore it again or repeal it entirely during the session. More egregious was the decision made during budget reconciliation to repeal requirements they had approved last year directing a percentage of the proceeds from the Seminole Gaming Compact to land conservation and management.
We praised the legislature for their decision to commit at least $100 million of the compact funding annually to conserve land in the Florida Wildlife Corridor and at least another $100 million annually to land management and control of invasive species. This would have been the first year the funds were directed to those needs. Instead, without any review or debate, or opportunity for public comment, the requirement was repealed. It is difficult to reconcile the legislature’s passage of the State Parks Preservation Act, and purported support for land conservation and protection of Florida’s natural resources, with a decision to withhold Florida Forever funding when land development is rampant, the cost of land is increasing rapidly, the public’s enthusiastic support for land conservation remains undiminished, and the necessary funding is hiding in plain sight.
To add insult to injury, the budget includes an allocation of $19.7 million for the purchase of a 114-acre spoil island in Volusia County’s Intracoastal Waterway.
The property’s resource values have never been vetted in the way Florida Forever projects are evaluated, and the property has an estimated market value of $175,000.
Funding for Endangered and Threatened Native Flora Conservation Grants
Florida created the Endangered and Threatened Native Flora Conservation Grant program in 1997. It is administered by the Division of Plant Industry of the Florida Department of Agriculture
and Consumer Services, and is funded contingent on receiving an annual appropriation from the legislature. Every year, FNPS requests and supports an appropriation. Common recipients of the grants include Archbold Biological Station, Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden and Bok Tower Gardens. The proposed Florida budget included $216,000 for the grant program. Unfortunately, the funding did not survive the governor’s veto pen, bringing a very difficult year for conservation funding to a very disappointing conclusion.
F NPS has faced many challenges to our plant conservation mission over the past year. With the support of our members, we have been able to achieve some meaningful successes. We greatly appreciate your participation in our efforts and assure you that FNPS will continue to remain engaged.
About the Author
Eugene Kelly serves as the president of FNPS and leads p olicy making initiatives for the society.
From Turf to Treasure:
How One Florida Yard Became a Blueprint for Change in an HOA Community
When my husband and I moved from Dallas to Wellen Park in 2022, I was looking for sunshine and palm trees, not a conservation mission. We chose a house conveniently situated about ten miles from the beautiful Manasota Key beach, excited for a new chapter in Florida. But just weeks after closing, Hurricane Ian arrived. As brand-new residents, we had no idea how to install shutters or navigate the aftermath. The storm revealed firsthand the sheer force of Mother Earth in this land, an experience that shook more than our roof and stirred something deep inside me.
I wanted to feel rooted, but I didn’t understand this landscape. I sprayed herbicide on a creeping plant. I later learned it was frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora), a native groundcover beloved by pollinators. I set a glue trap and caught a mockingbird. My husband freed it with olive oil, and we stood there stunned. That moment cracked something open in me. I hadn’t meant to harm; I simply didn’t know.
Then one afternoon, I saw a killdeer (Charadrius vociferus) nesting in the lawn, guarding her eggs through sun and rain. I wanted to help her, but I didn’t know how. So I went searching for answers. Browsing books online, I stumbled across Doug Tallamy’s Nature’s Best Hope. That little book changed everything. It didn’t just shift how I saw my yard; it transformed my values. I realized I had the power to help, not somewhere else, but right here.
The Cost of Green
Wellen Park is known for its clean design, walking trails, and beautifully maintained landscapes. But underneath that beauty is an invisible cost. According to public records from the
West Villages Improvement District (WVID), our community spends over $2.4 million per year on landscaping services and more than $2.3 million on irrigation. That’s nearly $5 million annually. In my neighborhood of just 682 homes, the 2025 landscape and irrigation budget exceeds $1.1 million, averaging about $1,758 per household.
Much of that goes to keeping turfgrass alive. St. Augustine grass, the dominant choice here, is one of the thirstiest. Watering just 1,000 square feet with one inch of water uses 623 gallons. A small lawn can drink nearly 1,000 gallons per week. Add fertilizers and pesticides, and you are not just spending money; you are also fueling runoff into rivers and the Gulf of Mexico, feeding red tide blooms and degrading fragile ecosystems.
From Regret to Rewilding
That’s when we decided to stop fighting nature. I began learning everything I could about Florida native plants and how to create habitat. To help bring the vision to life, I partnered with Everglades Native Designs, a local company led by Eryk Jadaszewski and his amazing team. They helped refine a planting plan rooted in Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ principles. For those unsure where to begin, seeking help, even for just a layout, can make the process less overwhelming.
I submitted my design to the HOA with plant lists, seasonal
Reading Nature’s Best Hope in our backyard hammock, where this vision for rewilding first took root. The book became my guide and this lakefront space, my classroom.
Our native landscape includes five Florida thatch palms (Thrinax radiata), a state-listed endangered species.
Some of my favorite native plants that thrive in our landscape:
l Frogfruit (Phyla nodiflora): A groundcover butterfly magnet that weaves between pavers and softens every step.
l Simpson’s stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans): A sweet- smelling shrub that perfumes the garden with hints of spice when in bloom, and stood strong through Hurricane Milton.
l Florida thatch palm (Thrinax radiata): Elegant, majestic, and endangered, a statement plant that deserves to be protected.
l Pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens): A must-have for any yard near a retention pond or water feature, offering shade and water filtration.
l Dahoon holly (Ilex cassine): A graceful small tree that held up beautifully during the hurricane.
l Coontie (Zamia integrifolia): Tough, tidy, and charming, perfect as a border plant with deep roots in Florida’s natural history.
"I realized I had the power to help, not somewhere else, but right here."
l Gold lantana (Lantana depressa var. depressa): Blooms nearly year-round and lights up the garden in every season.
l Calusa firebush (Hamelia patens ‘Calusa’): A compact cultivar with the same pollinator magic as the native firebush, but perfect for smaller spaces.
l Beautyberry (Callicarpa americana): Bold clusters of purple berries that birds love.
l Myrsine (Myrsine cubana): Understated, sturdy, and always reliable as a background shrub.
Top: Our native garden includes 88 plants and over 16 species, like Simpson’s stopper, myrsine, and thatch palms. Each one adds life, texture, and a welcome to the wildlife that call this home. Bottom, left to right: Our Florida-Friendly Landscape and National Wildlife Federation certifications are daily reminders that this garden is more than ours – it’s a way to give back to nature and create space for life to return. Gold lantana (Lantana depressa var. depressa) in full bloom, thrives without chemicals. Native cultivars like this support pollinators while keeping a vibrant look. Pond cypress trees were included in the landscape for their feathery foliage and to provide shade and water filtration.
"Let’s stop seeing our landscapes as status symbols and start seeing them as the sacred space they are. Let's make native the new normal."
care notes, and sample images. It took two rounds of review, but we were approved. Florida Statute 581 protects a homeowner’s right to use Florida-Friendly Landscaping™, even in HOA communities. That law, paired with education and a little diplomacy, opened the door.
Today, our garden includes 88 native plants across more than 16 species, including Simpson’s stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans), firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens), pond cypress (Taxodium ascendens), and five Florida thatch palms (Thrinax radiata), a state-listed endangered species. We’ve eliminated fertilizers and chemical sprays from our garden care. Our watering now relies on rainfall, supplemented by controlled micro-irrigation used mindfully and only when essential during the peak of the dry season. The garden thrives on this careful balance, natural mulch, and intention.
What Happened Next Surprised Me
The moment we stopped treating our yard like a chore and started treating it like an ecosystem, everything changed. Butterflies arrived first: monarchs and white peacocks. Bees returned. A Florida softshell turtle sought out a cool patch of mulch. One morning, a lone sandhill crane wandered up as if wondering what this little jungle was doing in the middle of a suburban grid.
Even the birds seem to notice. Some hover, some land, others watch from rooftops like curious neighbors. Our yard has become a place to rest. Not just for us, but for them.
No Chemicals. No Guilt. No Going Back.
We use no pesticides. Instead, we rely on balance. Native plants invite beneficial insects. Birds and lizards do their part. We walk barefoot through our garden every day. We work from home and watch the butterflies while sipping coffee. There’s no app for what this gives you.
What You Can Do
This isn’t about perfection. It’s about participation. You don’t have to remove all your turf at once. Start with one corner. Choose three plants. Plant a groundcover. Ask your HOA to review Florida Statute 581 and show them a maintenance plan. Native doesn’t mean messy; it means mindful.
If you’re in an HOA, remember, the law is on your side. And so is nature.
A New Vision for Florida Yards
This story isn’t about blame. It’s about remembering. Much of Florida’s land was once wild, rich with life. Many of our
Above, clockwise from upper left: Native firebush (Hamelia patens var. patens) glows in the afternoon sun. This pollinator magnet blooms nearly all year in Florida’s warm climate. The intricate bloom of Stokes' aster (Stokesia laevis). A white peacock butterfly (Anartia jatrophae) rests quietly among native groundcovers. Carolina wild petunia (Ruellia caroliniensis) is a gentle bloomer that feeds native bees and adds soft color to shady garden beds.
neighborhoods now sit where ecosystems used to thrive. But we can bring it back, one yard, one plant, one decision at a time. Whether you live in a new development or an older community, your yard has power. It can be more than something to mow. It can be something to protect.
L et’s stop seeing our landscapes as status symbols and start seeing them as the sacred space they are.
L et’s make native the new normal.
References
Florida Association of Native Nurseries (FANN). (n.d.). https://www.fann.org Florida Native Plant Society. (n.d.). https://www.fnps.org Tallamy, D. W. (2020). Nature’s best hope: A new approach to conservation that starts in your yard Timber Press.
We st Villages Improvement District. (2024). About the WVID. https://westvillagesid.org/about/
Further Reading
Consult Florida Statute 581.141: Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Law. Consider doublec hecking if a more specific statute like 720.3075(4) for HOAs or 373.185 is more appropriate, t hough 581 does cover Florida-Friendly Landscaping broadly.
About the Author
Monaliza Bresko is a conservation advocate and UF/IFAS-certified Florida Master Gardener Volunteer living in Wellen Park. Originally from Brazil, she helps Florida homeowners reconnect with native ecosystems, starting in their own yards.
A Florida softshell turtle, a sandhill crane, and a variety of native bees are among the wildlife that have delighted us by visiting the native garden.
The Florida Native Plant Society PO Box 5007 Gainesville, FL 32627
FNPS Chapters and Representatives CHAPTER REPRESENTATIVE E-MAIL
1 Broward................................................................Tiffany Duke tada duke@yahoo.com
31. The Villages ...........................................Bob Keyes .......................................................bob.keyes@qcspurchasing.com
BECOME A MEMBER OF FNPS:
It's easy! Simply contact your local Chapter Representative, or call, write, or e-mail FNPS. You can also join online by using the QR code, or visiting https:// www.fnps.org/support/member
Contact the Florida Native Plant Society: PO Box 5007 Gainesville, FL 32627. Phone: (321) 271-6702 Email: info@fnps.org Online: https://fnps.org
Submit materials to PALMETTO: Contact the Editor: Marjorie Shropshire Visual Key Creative, Inc.
