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This month marks 25 years of driving wildflower conservation forward with the State Wildflower license plate! Today, there are over 35,000 of these beautiful plates on the road, raising millions of dollars to protect and promote our native wildflowers. It all started with a dedicated group of individuals from the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and a partnership with the Florida Department of Transportation.

Learn more about the wildflower warriors who made all of this possible and our 25 years of accomplishments here! 

Pollinator Week 2025: Pollinators Weave Connections

Happy Pollinator Week! This annual celebration honors all the little critters who take on the heroic task of pollination – playing a critical role in our ecosystems, economies and cultures. Hosted by Pollinator Partnership, this year’s theme is “Pollinators Weave Connections,” highlighting the essential role pollinators play in shaping and expressing human culture in all its forms. To honor this theme, we have collected a few of our favorite Florida pollinator stories:

The Beloved Butterfly

Throughout history, the butterfly's beauty and grace has captivated us, connecting us to the natural world and inspiring unlimited creativity. Butterflies play an important role in our ecosystems, both as pollinators and as food sources for other animals. Their diversity and abundance are often used by scientists as indicators of ecological health. But their impact goes well beyond the environmental. Butterflies are cultural icons — symbols of transformation and hope, featured in songs, stories, poetry, art and even tattoos, of which they are one of the most popular subjects! Butterflies are so cherished that many states have designated official species. Here in Florida, that honor goes to the stunning Zebra longwing (Heliconius charithonia).

So the next time you find yourself singing along to Dolly Parton’s “Love is Like a Butterfly,” or admiring a butterfly printed on a mug at the store, take a moment to appreciate their essential roles — from bringing joy to sustaining the natural world!

The Berries and the Bees

Picking blueberries at one of Florida’s many locally owned farms or snacking on native blueberries while hiking in your favorite natural area is a quintessential summer experience in Florida. And for that, we can thank a very special pollinator: the Southeastern blueberry bee (Habropoda laboriosa). Blueberry flowers (Vaccinium spp.) require a unique strategy called buzz pollination, in which bees vibrate their flight muscles to shake loose stubborn pollen. Not all bees are able to do this, but the Southeastern blueberry bee is a master at it. Even better, they emerge from their winter slumber right as blueberry plants begin to flower in early spring — a perfectly timed relationship that leads to high yields of delicious fruit!



Southeastern blueberry bee photo courtesy of USGS Native Bee Inventory and Monitoring Laboratory

Yucca's Unique Relationship

Yucca, a genus native to North America, includes three species found in Florida. One of the most widespread is Adam’s needle (Yucca filamentosa), which also has a rich history of cultural uses. Indigenous peoples used its roots medicinally and to make soap, its flowers as a food source, and its strong fibrous leaves to make cordage, fishing nets and clothing. Yucca also has one of the most interesting partnerships with its pollinator. Each species has a corresponding specialist moth (in either the Tegeticula or Parategeticula genus), and they are wholly dependent on each other for their continued survival. It’s one of the most extraordinary examples of co-evolution in the plant world! Click here to learn more about this incredible pollination story.

Yucca moth (Tegeticula yuccasella) photo by Alan Cressler

Magnificent Magnolias

Florida is home to six Magnolia species, including the Southern magnolia (Magnolia grandiflora), one of the South’s most beautiful and iconic trees. Native plants like the Southern magnolia instill a deep sense of place, connecting us to the unique nature of the places in which we live and travel. But did you know that Magnolias are one of the most ancient flowering plant species? They evolved BEFORE bees and butterflies, which means they rely on the most ancient of pollinators: beetles! Click here to learn more about this fascinating pollination story.

The next time you are walking along a Magnolia-lined street, taking in the beauty and sweet fragrance of their stunning creamy blossoms, take a moment to appreciate the beetles that made the whole scene possible.

As these stories demonstrate, pollinators connect more than flowers — they link plants, people and entire ecosystems. But their populations are shrinking fast.

Your support helps us plant native wildflowers, grow habitat and inspire communities to take action. Together, we can weave a future where pollinators — and the connections they make — thrive.

Announcing our 2025 Grant Awards!

We are thrilled to announce the recipients of our 2025 Seedlings of Schools and Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration Garden Grants!

Seedlings for Schools: This year, we are awarding a record-breaking 67 grants to schools across the state. Each one will receive 30 native wildflower seedlings at the start of the 2025–26 school year. Click here for a full list of recipients.

Viva Florida: Twelve community spaces have been selected this year for funding to establish native plant demonstration gardens. Learn more here.

Photo: Rain Lily Montessori students with their seedlings from the 2024 grant by Kindergarten teacher Kati McClurg.

This six-part webinar series with Jim Folsom, PhD is a crash course in basic botany for the beginner. 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.

WATCH THE FULL SERIES HERE!

Join us tomorrow, Saturday, June 21, for Pollinator Palooza at First Magnitude Brewing Company in Gainesville from 2-6 PM, where we are teaming up with the Florida Museum's McGuire Center for Lepidoptera & Biodiversity for a native plant giveaway! This event also features the release of a special pollinator-themed beer, live music, other community partners and plant vendors.

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