Do More

Times are certainly tough for everyone right now, but if we are able to support certain groups financially, even if it's just the smallest membership possible, I hope you'll consider the following:

Sierra Club: They do SO MUCH to protect us from ourselves especially legislatively!  Even if you can't become a member, you can sign up to receive free email alerts, which I highly recommend!

Florida  (or any other state) Native Plant Society: Again, doing so much for so many with so little.

Bat Conservation International: It's all there in the name.  Right now, North American native bats are facing a huge threat from white nose syndrome, a fungus that kills and wipes out whole colonies, possibly whole species!  Bats are WONDERFUL animals and are very important to native ecosystems.  Please do what you can.

Charlotte Harbor National Estuary Program (or the one closest to you, there are 28 in the country)
Working with all stakeholders, making a real difference in environmental education, ecosystem preservation and real time science.

At the very least, please visit their websites, they are listed here on the blog, just click and go!

You Can Help !

Hope the attached mini movie inspires everyone do a little something for birds and other wildlife in your own back yards.  It doesn't take a lot to make a really big difference!

                                                                       You Can Help !

The Sprout Queen

Had a great day today tasting sprouts from the Sprout Queen Chris Lindsey. Absolutely amazing! If all our food tasted that great we would never use high fat high calorie dressings on our salads, or feel cheated at the dinner table. I hope all of you living in the SW Florida area will go to  http://www.thesproutqueen.com/ and find out where she will be during the week so you can have access to the tastiest, freshest greens possible.

Took a few pics to share, so delicious!!!


For more wonderful food ideas please check out www.PineIslandBotanicals.com  as well.

Fun Videos

Just want to entice everyone with samples of still images from the shows. The first show will launch in early July! Can't wait!

Small Wonders

Native Plants are beautiful!

Guest Bloggers, Edible Natives and Native Bees

I’m excited to tell you I’ll be posting a “guest blog” from my bird expert friend Charlie Ewell next week. Charlie can let us know what birds we can expect to see during the summer months here in SW Florida, any good projects you may want to get involved with, and websites he feels we would all be interested in especially bird lovers. He’s brilliant, kind and the kind of person you want as a friend. I hope to bring you other guest blogs covering water quality issues, helping wildlife, landscaping chemical free and more!

As more and people become interested in growing their own food, knowing what local native plants provide berries and fruit humans can safely consume becomes more important. In south Florida, there are some wonderful plants you can share with birds and other wildlife.
   Beauty Berry: with plenty of sugar makes good jam, and of course, birds love it too!
   Bird Pepper: these tiny peppers pack a real punch, and are great in soups
   And other dishes. Northern Mockingbirds, our state bird love ‘em too!
   Elderberry: yes, people do make wine from the berries! Medicinal as well.
   Cocoplum: not real tasty, but that means more for wildlife!
   Persimmon: excellent choice if you need to add trees to your landscape
   Red Mulberry: VERY tasty, beautiful tree with large canopy

Florida native bees: Did you know that nationwide, NATIVE bees pollinate about $3 billion in crops each year? That Florida has more than 300 native species of bees including bumblebees? Our Florida native bees do NOT sting unless roughly handled! These animals are so special and so misunderstood. Please be willing to learn more. The IFAS program through the University of Florida has great info on so many things including bees; go to http://entnemdept.ifas.ufl.edu and let’s do what we can for native bees in our home landscapes.

New Information

A member of the Cocoloba Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society, Chris Lindsey, is now the Sprout Queen, offering wheatgrass, fresh sprouts, sunflower greens and sprouting supplies at Ada's Whole Foods here in Fort Myers, Florida.  Her website is http://www.thesproutqueen.com/ and I wish her continued success!

A reminder, for Florida native plants, please check out my list of southwest Florida suppliers right here on the blog site. I especially want to mention All Native Garden Center.  John Sibley, the owner, has literally given so much to improving public sites all over sw Florida, providing planning, installation and plants free of charge and at substantial discounts so that the public can learn more about and enjoy our wonderful native plants!

I have added some new websites to my recommended list, and am working on a list called "Vistas Worth Visiting", a list of sites open to the public where native plants reign and understanding of and appreciation of the REAL Florida can take place.

I was able to buy from Publix recently "certified humane" chicken: I can only hope the certification is legitimate!  There is movement afoot among whole food providers to properly label food so consumers can make their desires for chemical free, humanely treated meat and poultry known through their wallets.  The only problem is that most Americans have a hard time affording truly healthy and humane food on a regular basis.  Thank God we can still give subsidies to the oil companies! (Yes, I was being sarcastic!)

And in closing, with Florida in it's normal drought mode, please provide drinking water to urban and suburban wildlife: all it takes is a wide, shallow water dish on the ground in some shade. The bottom of a large terra cotta pot works great!