Paynes Prairie Chapter of FNPS

05/23/2026

Looking forward to this talk next month 🤩

Join us on Wednesday, June 17 at 2pm for our webinar “The Florida Meadow — A Future of Ecological Enhancement” presented by UF/IFAS Research Associate Dr. Gage LaPierre. Register now at: https://www.flawildflowers.org/event/260617-webinar-the-florida-meadow/

Meadows are dynamic, human-created plant communities — graminoid- and forb-dominated landscapes that offer both ecological value and striking visual appeal. In this presentation, we’ll explore what makes meadows thrive in Florida’s unique environment, from the principles behind their design to the practicalities of installation and long-term management.

05/18/2026

🌳This month’s regular field trip is a chapter first! We’re collaborating with local design and build studio for a landscaping tour of three gardens imagined and created here in the heart of Gainesville that explore ecological function, plant performance, and expressive design with native plants.

🌱We’ll be led by Emergent Gardens designer and horticulturist Shelby Radcliffe, meeting at Pulp Arts for a tour of the gardens there (ADDRESS CORRECTION: 1705 NE 16th Ave) - SEE IMPORTANT PARKING INFO IN COMMENTS! An evolving experimental landscape in a creative commercial setting, Pulp Gardens blends structured native plantings with looser, exploratory areas across varied conditions.

🦆From there, we will visit two more Duckpond properties designed by Emergent Gardens, creatively named “Little Mound” and “Flatwoods Bungalow”. A compact residential front yard installed in winter 2024, Little Mound uses re-graded soil to create subtle topography on a hot, dry site. The planting is approximately 80% native, prioritizing drought-tolerant species and seasonal variation within a simple, legible structure. The tour will highlight plant selection, composition, and performance under drought conditions.

🍃Flatwoods Bungalow is a small front yard garden also built in Winter 2024 and organized into two matrix-style plant communities inspired by pine flatwoods understory systems. A curated mix of native ecotypes, select nativars, and structural grasses creates seasonal color and year-round cohesion, complemented by a diverse front porch border that adds contrast and texture. The tour will address strategies for unity, flow, and layered planting in small residential spaces. The backyard will not be open to the public, but can be viewed from the gate.

⬇️continued in comments! Photos from another project not on the tour, “Living Lab” - see Emergent Garden’s website for more of their work.

05/13/2026

🤓Get ready for some UF/IFAS knowledge at our next Chapter meeting and featured speaker presentation! This month, we will be hearing from Dr. Cynthia Nazario-Leary about “Landscaping with Native Plants in North Florida”! This talk will surely be useful when thinking about our yards and gardens.

🪷Dr. Nazario-Leary is the UF/IFAS Environmental Horticulture Extension Agent for Alachua County. She received her B.S. in Landscape Contracting from Pennsylvania State University, her M.S. in Horticulture and Ph.D. in Natural Resources & Environmental Management from the University of Hawaiʻi. Cynthia began working in Extension as an urban horticulture agent for the University of Hawaiʻi in Maui County. After 20 years in Hawaiʻi, she moved with her family to Gainesville in 2019. In her current UF/IFAS extension position, she directs the Master Gardener Volunteer program, implements Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ programs, and supports community and school gardening initiatives.

☀️Dr. Nazario-Leary aims to combine her extension experience with her passion for communicating science-based information to engage the community and affect positive change. Her presentation will show us the results of UF/IFAS research, so don’t miss your chance to get quality help with your landscape! Meetings are free and open to the public, so come on out. We hope to see you in person or on zoom next week!

05/12/2026

FYI there are no dogs allowed on this section of Barr Hammock - therefore no dogs on this field trip. Sorry! 😢❌🐕

🌸This month we have an ~extra~ special field trip! In addition to our normally scheduled field trip weekend, Milo Neelands will be guiding us to some Rose Pogonias and Grass Pinks (Pogonia ophioglossoides and Calopogon tuberosa) at Barr Hammock Preserve.

🍃Milo Neelands is an Environmental Specialist with the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department. Milo works with the Alachua County Forever program, so this will be an insider’s tour of Barr Hammock Preserve. We’ll meet Milo at Barr Hammock Levy Loop Trail (14920 SE 11th Dr. Micanopy, FL 32667) at 9AM.

🥾 Getting a view of these beautiful orchids won’t come without a cost: unlike our usual hikes, it will be at least 3 miles long. We will stay on the raised berm trail, which is flat and even but unshaded. It isn’t a strenuous walk, but it will entail a couple hours of walking, and it may be very hot and sunny. Please bring sufficient drinking water and tick repellent, wear comfortable walking shoes and sun protection, and be prepared for rain (but fingers crossed for more rain, honestly!). The field trip will last about 3 hours, and participants are welcome to bring their lunch and stay longer. Binoculars or telephoto lenses may be helpful for getting a clearer view of the flowers - we will not be hiking off trail for our safety and habitat integrity.

❗️FYI no dogs are allowed in this section of Barr Hammock so there will be no dogs allowed on this field trip! Questions? DM us! No RSVP needed, but we do encourage you to sign up for membership at fnps.org - if you do, you’ll get an exclusive heads up for events like this and more in our newsletter every month.

05/09/2026

🌸This month we have an ~extra~ special field trip! In addition to our normally scheduled field trip weekend, Milo Neelands will be guiding us to some Rose Pogonias and Grass Pinks (Pogonia ophioglossoides and Calopogon tuberosa) at Barr Hammock Preserve.

🍃Milo Neelands is an Environmental Specialist with the Alachua County Environmental Protection Department. Milo works with the Alachua County Forever program, so this will be an insider’s tour of Barr Hammock Preserve. We’ll meet Milo at Barr Hammock Levy Loop Trail (14920 SE 11th Dr. Micanopy, FL 32667) at 9AM.

🥾 Getting a view of these beautiful orchids won’t come without a cost: unlike our usual hikes, it will be at least 3 miles long. We will stay on the raised berm trail, which is flat and even but unshaded. It isn’t a strenuous walk, but it will entail a couple hours of walking, and it may be very hot and sunny. Please bring sufficient drinking water and tick repellent, wear comfortable walking shoes and sun protection, and be prepared for rain (but fingers crossed for more rain, honestly!). The field trip will last about 3 hours, and participants are welcome to bring their lunch and stay longer. Binoculars or telephoto lenses may be helpful for getting a clearer view of the flowers - we will not be hiking off trail for our safety and habitat integrity.

❗️FYI no dogs are allowed in this section of Barr Hammock so there will be no dogs allowed on this field trip! Questions? DM us! No RSVP needed, but we do encourage you to sign up for membership at fnps.org - if you do, you’ll get an exclusive heads up for events like this and more in our newsletter every month.

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day!!! 🌎💞🌍💞🌏

Mark those calendars for our upcoming events in May, including an extra special hike to go see some native orchids 🌸

04/19/2026

Come by and say hi! Drink a beer, plant four trees! Does it get any better than that?

04/10/2026

💜This month, we will visit the Etoniah rosemary planting site on Etoniah Creek State Forest (ECSF) for our April field trip. We will have the special honor of being led by Charlie Pedersen, the forest biologist, who will show us the restoration site for the federally endangered scrub shrub.

😌Since this is an active restoration site, please see the member newsletter or consider attending our in person meeting for field trip details. The field trip will last about 2 hours, and participants are welcome to stay longer and hike additional trails. 

⚠️Additional disclaimer: the plants will not be in bloom this time of year- for that you’ll have to come back either on your own or to help Charlie during future volunteer events!

📖ECSF is a 9000-acre conservation land in Putnam county spread over three tracts. ECSF is a key natural area bridging the gap in the O2O greenway. ECSF houses several native Florida ecosystems: scrub, scrubby flatwoods, sandhill flatwoods, baygall, dome swamps, depression marshes and the bottomlands of Falling Branch and Etoniah Creek. The headwaters of Rice Creek, part of the north shore of Rodman reservoir, and some of the Florida Trail, including the Iron Bridge Shelter are all on ECSF land.

04/07/2026

CORRECTION/EDIT: address for the meeting is 4225 NW 34th St!!!
✨Get ready for some wisdom! At our April Chapter meeting next week, Kim Alexander, from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory (FNAI) will be coming to give us a talk on “Natural Heritage Know-How.” Our meetings are free and open to the public, so come on out next Wednesday to learn more! Can’t make it in person? We have zoom too!

💛FNAI is a trusted and comprehensive source of information on Florida’s ecological resources. A nonprofit organization affiliated with Florida State University and a member of the NatureServe Natural Heritage Network, FNAI works to collect, interpret, and share data essential to conserving Florida’s biological diversity. FNAI also maintains the Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida. In this presentation, Kim Alexander will provide an overview of FNAI’s core natural heritage work and highlight a selection of projects that reflect the breadth of our projects across the state.

🌟Kim Alexander has been with the Florida Natural Areas Inventory since 2005 and currently serves as the Community Ecologist and Field Project Coordinator. Her work over the years has focused primarily on natural community mapping, vegetation monitoring, and rare plant surveys. She is a co-author of the 2010 update to the Guide to the Natural Communities of Florida. Kim’s background is in plant systematics and field botany, with a particular emphasis on the flora of North Central Florida. She holds a master’s degree in Botany from the University of Florida.

03/28/2026