City of Plant City Wildflowers for the Community Final Project Report E

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1 City of Plant City Wildflowers for the Community Final Project Report E Ordering Status All seeds were ordered on November 21, 2007 from the Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Association. The order contained 500 packets of Gailardia pulchella, 2lbs of Eragrostis spectabilis, and 2lbs of Coreopsis leavenworthii. The order was paid by the City of Plant City from purchase order # 28754, which was funded by grant money from the Wildflower Foundation. 2. Packaging All seeds were packaged by student assistants earning community service credit. Each package was labeled indicating that the project was funded through a grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation, and all included planting instructions provided by Jeff Norcini from the University of Florida s Institute of Food and Agriculture Sciences (wildflowers) or Master Gardners from the Hillsborough County Extension Service (love grass). 3. The Suncoast Native Plant Society The Suncoast Native Plant Society is the Hillsborough County chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society. They received a donation of 30% of the seed packages of Gailardia pulchella, Eragrostis spectabilis and Coreopsis leavenworthii that were alternately labeled for the Society. The Chapter handed out seeds at membership meetings, the Museum of Science and Industry s Florida Yards Fandango event, the Butterfly, Native and Herb festival at the University of South Florida s Botanical Gardens, and other various outreach events. Community members who received the seeds were encouraged to join the Florida Native Plant Society in order to learn more about protecting native plants. 4. Media and Promotion The City of Plant City s Public Works Department advertised a Spring Garden Give- Away in its March newsletter. Approximately 200 members of the community called and requested the wildflower kits, which included a package of Gailardia pulchella and information on being eco-friendly with pesticides, herbicides and fertilizers as well as other native gardening information. Community members complimented the project and said that they would be happy to be a part of encouraging more use of natives and wildflowers in our City. Most packets included a copy of the Florida Museum of Natural History s Wildflowers and Butterflies brochure, which delighted our recipients. An environmental education kid s program was also created as the result of this grant. Pickin Wildflowers teaches kids about native plants through a coloring book by the Florida Department of Agriculture and emphasizes how plants not just animals - can 1

2 become extinct if we do not protect them. Kids learn about many types of wildflowers, and then paint a flower pot. They fill their flower pots with organic soil and plant their Coreopsis leavenworthii seeds. The Plant City Courier, a local publication through the Tampa Tribune, attended one of our community workshops and did a story on the event held on Tuesday, May 6 th. This class was also our most popular summer request. Wildflower classes were taught to hundreds of summer school students as the program was offered at Burney D. Simmons Elementary, the Fun Factory day care, and Kid s Club day care. 5. Other Donations The local YMCA read about the Spring Garden Giveaway and requested fifty seed packages for their volunteer appreciation luncheon. We provided them with Coreopsis leavenworthii for their event on May 20 th. Simmons Career Center is a local high school that emphasizes careers in agriculture. One quarter pound of Coreopsis leavenworthii was donated for their use. Students in the agriculture program grow the seeds and will eventually sell the plants to the community to generate more revenue for their special activities. The seeds have also been distributed at the City of Plant City s Chamber of Commerce events Bikefests in February and April. Community members were able to get a free seed packet paired with City environmental information. Our Water Conservation Program has also distributed Coreopsis leavenworthii in packets given to the community at various presentations emphasizing responsible lawn practices. The latest seed donation was given to the Tampa Bay Estuary Program for their gift bags during their October 18 th Estuary Academy at Weedon Island Preserve. We still have approximately two hundred seed packets of Coreopsis, which will be used to continue our Pickin Wildflowers program as it is requested by local schools, day cares, home school groups and civic organizations. 6. Conclusion This grant funding has been extremely beneficial to our community, and we will continue to implement the program for a successful return. Not only have the seeds benefited the Suncoast Native Plant Society, but we have been able to reach a variety of schools and local organizations the seeds provided us with a vehicle to talk about fire, natural Florida, erosion and sediment control, responsible pesticide/herbicide/fertilizer usage, land preservation and conservation, and species diversity. This program was also strengthened by previous Wildflower Foundation grant winners (the coloring book, the butterfly brochure), so we were able to accomplish more with these additional resources. It has been an honor for the City of Plant City s Environmental Education Program to manage this project. 2

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4 Answering The Call Of The Wildflowers By GEORGE WILKENS The Tampa Tribune Published: May 17, 2008 PLANT CITY - About once a month, after most employees have left for the day, two dozen children invade the Plant City public works building for a free lesson about nature, the environment and ecology. The children, ages 4 through 12, participate in hands-on education programs aimed at helping develop environmentally conscious citizens dedicated to helping preserve their planet. This month's hour-long program started with a slide show and short lesson on wildflowers, followed by what most interested the children: the opportunity to paint a terra cotta pot and anything else nearby. "Parents, this should wash out of their clothing," environmental education coordinator Shawna Everidge told the adults as paint was distributed to their children. "If it doesn't, I've been lied to." Trent Sanders, 9, used his four-color palette to create a classic "Jack in the Beanstalk" scene on the pot that would soon become a wildflower garden. "I decided on that because it was a plant," he explained. And plant, they would. As soon as the hand-painted pots were dry, soil was added and wildflower seeds distributed. "Stick your finger in your dirt," then put the seeds in the resulting inch-deep hole, Everidge instructed. "I just planted it. I made a garden," exclaimed 7-year-old Dalton Hull. "I put every single seed in there," he said, displaying his now-empty packet of seeds for Florida's state wildflower, coreopsis, commonly called "tickseed." The yellow-and-black flower that resembles a black-eyed Susan is featured on one of Florida's specialty license plates. Dalton is a veteran of the local educational programs, said his mom, KelliHull, of Plant City. "We love it. We're at almost every one," she said. Many are held at the city's public works building, 1802 Spooner Drive, and others, including some geared more for adults, at Bruton Memorial Library. A recent workshop about bats provided participants with a house to attract the furry, flying mammals, plus information about the benefits of the nocturnal animals known for a voracious appetite for insects. 1

5 One of four programs funded for two years by the state Department of Transportation, that class emphasized how a bat-friendly backyard can be integrated into natural management of insects, reducing dependency upon pesticides, Everidge said. On this night, it's all about flowers. After Everidge describes the many varieties and color variations, children view slides of some endangered species, including buffalo clover. Scientific details are peppered with age-appropriate practical information. Regarding the plant coral bean, for example: "If you see it, don't eat it; it's poison," Everidge cautioned. "I see them all the time," one boy said. Amy Beatty came to the wildflower program with her five children. John, 12; Mercy, 10; Moriah, 7; and Merridith, 4, participated, while brother Tobias, almost 2, watched from the sideline with mom. "They have a lot of fun, and the teacher is really great," said Beatty, an 11-year resident of Plant City who home-schools her children. "They love it. They couldn't wait to come back. This is the second program we've done," the other being what she jokingly refers to as "the homeless toad class." On that night, children learned about toads, both beneficial and harmful, and created small clay structures designed to attract good toads to the family garden. Beatty appreciates the environmental lessons learned in the sessions, such as information about carnivorous Cuban tree frogs devouring their indigenous Florida cousins. "That's good for a child to know - when you introduce a nonnative species, it has impact," Beatty said. That point was driven home by showing a photograph of "the victim," Florida's small green native tree frog, Beatty said. Before the youngsters leave, their flower pots are securely wrapped for the trip home. They're encouraged to take photographs once their flowers bloom, and copies to Everidge. "We're encouraging a native plant," Everidge said. "If we can get kids to have an appreciation of native Florida early in life, it will go a long way when they're making decisions later in life." 2

6 IF YOU GO WHAT: City of Plant City environmental education program COST: Free REGISTRATION/INFORMATION: (813) , ext Upcoming Classes WHEN: 6 p.m. July 17, "Under the Sea," a look at ocean life from A to Z, with children following in a coloring book provided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Children will make clay bowls with seashell impressions. WHERE: Plant City public works building, 1802 Spooner Drive WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Aug. 28, "Worms Eat My Garbage," a lecture on vermicomposting and using a worm bin to transform table scraps into organic fertilizer. Attendees will make a worm bin to take home. WHERE: Bruton Memorial Library, 302 W. McLendon St., Plant City Reporter George Wilkens can be reached at (813) or gwilkens@tampatrib.com. Original Link: 3