Annual Report 2015–16

ResearchWith science-based knowledge, we make informed decisions

and offer recommendations for using wildflowers on roadsides and in urban landscapes. Current research initiatives include delving into the control of weeds that can make or break a wildflower planting and the evaluation of urban landscapes for their ability to support wildlife, such as bees and butterflies.

One research project is finding out how systemic insecticides applied to milkweed plants affect Monarch caterpillars. Results will inform the nursery industry about how to grow the best milkweeds possible.

Through the Gary Henry Endowment for the Study of Native Wildflowers at the University of Florida, the Foundation also annually supports a graduate student conducting research under Dr. Hector Perez in the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences’ Environmental Horticulture program.

Education and wildflower awarenessPublications, events, field trips, social media and more — every day, we increase the awareness of

wildflowers and all they do for us. From the Florida Association of Native Nurseries’ The Native Plant Show in Kissimmee to the Florida Wildflower & Garden Festival in DeLand, we covered the state with wildflower information. When we couldn’t attend an event or meeting, we provided thousands of copies of educational brochures and handouts for distribution.

We’re particularly proud of the publication of the 24-page 10 Easy Wildflowers for Butterflies and Bees, funded in part by the Stanley Smith Horticultural Trust. The publication was inserted into 70,000 copies of the 2016 Real Florida Gardeners magazine for distribution throughout the state.

Thanks in part to funding from the Wildflower Foundation Inc., we put the finishing touches on a 139-page Wild About Wildflowers Activity Guide and did a soft-launch of it to select teachers for their critiques.

In September, our best-attended Florida Wildflower Symposium yet was held at Silver Springs State Park. More than 175 attendees rode iconic glass-bottom boats, toured the park’s gardens, participated in field trips to natural areas, and attended educational sessions on wildflowers, water and wildlife.

The education program also provided support for an internship at Archbold Biological Center in pollination ecology.

10 Easy Wildflowersfor Butterflies and Bees

Cover photo by Julie Tew

The Florida Wildflower Foundation conducts and supports research, education and planting projects that increase the presence of native wildflowers and support the wildlife depending on them.

Board and staffTerry Zinn, Chair

Keri Byrum, Vice ChairMarissa Kaprow, Treasurer

Dena Wild, SecretaryGary Henry

Carolyn SchaagAnne Mackay Melissa HuntJeff Caster

Nancy Bissett

StaffLisa Roberts

Executive Director

Stacey Matrazzo Program Manager

Program ContractorsEleanor DietrichClaudia Larsen

Jeff NorciniJennifer Tyson

Dr. Jaret Daniels collects insect samples.

Planting and conservationProviding native milkweed for Monarch

butterflies has become a huge concern, especially here in Florida, where commercial supplies of seeds and plants are limited. To bolster both, we joined with the Florida Association of Native Nurseries and the Florida Museum of Natural History to collect seed and develop best practices for growing milkweed species.

Working with the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT), we helped identify dozens of roadside wildflower areas for special management practices that will increase flower populations and sustain butterflies and bees. We also helped FDOT rewrite its wildflower policy to include pollinator habitat management.

In the Panhandle, we assisted counties with the adoption of resolutions that allow FDOT to establish wildflower areas. We also successfully grew the Panhandle Wildflower Alliance, a loose communications group of wildflower enthusiasts, to include the Florida Panhandle’s western-most counties.

Seedlings for Schools grants were given to 28 schools to start campus wildflower gardens, and the Viva Florida program provided grants for large-scale projects at Orlando Wetlands Park in East Orange County, where berms were seeded, and PEAR Park in Lake County, where a demonstration landscape was planted near a wildflower observation pavilion. A landscape demonstration with educational signage also was installed at Silver Springs State Park, thanks to Vulcan Materials, which provided a garden sponsorship.

Viva Florida garden dedication at Silver Springs State Park.

PEAR Park’s wildlife-watching outpost includes a Viva Florida landscape.

Coreopsis

Passionflower

Brightman and Nan Logan

Goldenrod

Florida Scenic Highways ProgramGateway BankJCR Consulting

Sunflower

Florida Federation of Garden ClubsFlorida Master Naturalists ProgramFlorida Native Plant SocietyFlorida Wildlife SolutionsRobert Stenstream Fine ArtsTarflower Chapter, Florida Native Plant Society

Social Butterfly

Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Busy Bee

Roberts & Associates

Friend

OecoHort LLC

Florida Wildflower Symposium sponsors

Felburn Foundation

Florida Wildflower Growers Cooperative

State Wildflower License Plate

Florida Department of Agriculture &

Consumer Services

Archbold Biological StationAtala Chapter, North American

Butterfly AssociationBarrier Island CenterBuffalo Creek Middle SchoolBrooker Creek Preserve &

Environmental Education CenterCitrus Chapter, Florida Native Plant

Society (FNPS)Discover Wekiva/Seminole State

ForestEmerald Coast Visitors CenterFlorida Agriculture Resources MattersFlorida Department of TransportationFlorida Federation of Garden ClubsFlorida Museum of Natural HistoryFlorida Native Plant SocietyFlorida Southwestern State CollegeFlorida Wildflower & Garden Festival,

DeLandFriends of Gamble Rogers

State ParkGamble Rogers Memorial State

Recreation AreaGreen Cove Springs Garden ClubGreen Drinks Meetup, OrlandoHernando Chapter, FNPSIDEAS for Us – Hive OrlandoIxia Chapter, FNPSLake County League of Environmental Educators of

FloridaMainStreet DeLandMarion County Master GardenersMelrose Public LibraryMerritt Island National Wildlife RefugeMiramar Community Garden

Education OutreachNature Coast Chapter, FNPSNorth American Butterfly AssociationOrlando Wetlands ParkPawpaw Chapter, FNPSPEAR Park, Lake CountyPelican Island Audubon SocietyPiper High SchoolProject WILD Educator WorkshopSea Oats Chapter, FNPSSt. Marks National Wildlife Refuge St. Petersburg Garden ClubRegional Small Farms and Alternative

Enterprises ConferenceSarasota Audubon Society Searocket Chapter, FNPSSeminole State Forest

Silver Springs State ParkSouth Lake Chapter, FNPSStetson UniversitySumter County Master GardenersSunrise SchoolsTarflower Chapter, FNPSTomoka State ParkU.S. Forest Service, WakullaUniversity of Central FloridaUniversity of Florida University of Florida Bee CollegeUniversity of South Florida Wings and Wildflowers Festival, Lake

County

Seedlings for Schools recipientsThe Academy at Griffin HarborAstronaut High SchoolAtlantic West ElementaryChallenger Elementary SchoolChildren’s House Montessori SchoolCooper City High School

Cypress ElementaryFort Myers Middle AcademyGateway High SchoolGerald Adams Elementary SchoolGolden Grove Elementary SchoolGreater Horizons AcademyHighland ElementaryHoly Name of JesusHoward D. McMillian MiddleMcArthur High SchoolThe Nest After School programPalm Cove ElementaryPark Trails ElementaryRiviera ElementarySanta Fe Little SchoolSeminole Middle SchoolSilver Palms ElementarySilver Shores ElementarySouth Olive ElementarySouth Plantation HighSt Teresa Catholic SchoolWelleby Elementary

The following received assistance, a grant or a sponsorship during the 2015-16 fiscal year:

2015-16 FinancialsActivity and Changes in Net Assets

2016 2015

Support and revenue $358,100 $322,986

Expenses

Education $179,930 $149,178

Planting 38,255 59,839

Research 39,111 75,654

Total 257,296 284,671

Supporting services

Management and general 51,297 60,817

Fundraising 5,747 10,605

Total 57,044 71,422

TOTAL EXPENSES $314,340 $356,093

Net increase (decrease) in assets 43,760 (33,107)

Net assets, beginning of year 545,669 578,776

Net assets, end of year $589,429 $545,669