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This June, we are celebrating 25 years of the State Wildflower license plate supporting wildflowers and wildlife across Florida! With more than 35,000 plates on the road, we are thankful for everyone who has helped us drive our mission forward.

Learn how the wildflower plate is making a difference — and join us by getting yours today!

The Florida Wildflower Foundation is on the road!

Our Roadside Wildflower Program works directly with counties to identify and protect naturally occurring wildflower habitats along public roadsides. We conduct countywide surveys to locate suitable wildflower corridors, develop customized maintenance plans, and establish volunteer-led, long-term monitoring programs.

Want to see more wildflowers blooming in your community? Help us grow our impact by encouraging your county officials to partner with us. A simple introduction can lead to lasting change — for pollinators, native plants and people.

Learn more and get involved!

Gainesville is buzzing with pollinator love!

Bee City Gainesville is making strides to support native pollinators through habitat creation, community action and education. So far this year, we've:

• Supported the creation of pollinator-friendly native plant gardens at Evergreen Cemetery and the Gainesville Garden Club. 
• Hosted a successful Pollinator Pot Workshop with more than 50 pollinator pots created! Each one is filled with native plants and now living somewhere in the community — creating little pockets of habitat for bees, butterflies and other pollinators.

These efforts are part of our ongoing commitment to create healthy habitats for pollinators and engage the community in conservation. Learn more and get involved here!

Pollinator profile: Polka-dot wasp moth

Contrary to its appearance, the harmless Polka-dot wasp moth isn’t a wasp — but it’s not your typical moth, either. These beautiful pollinators are strikingly iridescent, with teal wings and bodies ending in a bright red-orange abdomen that signals their toxicity to predators. Get to know them here!

Photo: Polka-dot wasp moth (Syntomeida epilais) on Spotted beebalm (Monarda punctata) by Mary Keim

May 16 is Endangered Species Day, and across Florida, imperiled wildflowers need our help! Endemic species like White birds-in-a-nest (Macbridea alba) in the Panhandle, Bartram’s ixia (Calydorea caelestina) in northeast Florida and Florida bonamia (Bonamia grandiflora) in Central Florida are all state-listed as endangered. So is the Cowhorn orchid (Cyrtopodium punctatum), found in South Florida.

The best way to preserve endangered plants is by conserving the habitats in which they occur. This means:

• Advocating for the protection and proper management of our public lands.
• Supporting important management strategies like growing-season prescribed burns and invasive species control.
• Taking care of the natural areas we visit by following Leave No Trace principles.

Together, we can help ensure Florida’s rare wildflowers continue to bloom for generations to come!

Photos (left to right): Macbridea alba by Eleanor Dietrich, Calydorea caelestina by Emily Bell, Bonamia grandiflora by Stacey Matrazzo, and Cyrtopodium punctatum by Alan Cressler, Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center

a six-part webinar series with Jim Folsom, PhD.

This crash course in basic botany for the beginner will take us on a journey from understanding plant anatomy and physiology to learning how plants are named and the botanical jargon that will demystify plant keys and identification. Dr. Folsom will contextualize it all in Florida native plant communities.

Series schedule:

• Part 1: Basic Wildflower Botany – Watch the recording here
• Part 2: 10 BIG IDEAS Regarding Plants – Watch the recording here
• Part 3: Coming to Terms with Plant Names – Watch the recording here
• Part 4: Getting Familiar with Plant Families – Watch the recording here
• Part 5: Botanical Jargon, A Concise and Precise Language for Plants – Wednesday, May 21, 2pm
• Part 6: Using Keys to Florida Plants – Wednesday, June 18, 2pm

CLICK HERE FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS AND REGISTRATION

Check out our calendar for a full listing of upcoming events across the state!