Connecting You to Nature Winter 2022

Winter 2022

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Protecting Land

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Protecting Land — 2 Frannie's Preserve — 6

Winter 2022

Connecting You to Nature is published

by SCCF, a nonprofit 501 (c)(3) founded in 1967 on Sanibel Island, Florida.

Through stories about how we fulfill our mission to protect and care for Southwest Florida’s coastal ecosystems, we hope to deepen your understanding of how our land, water, and wildlife depend on our stewardship.

James Evans, CEO Barbara Linstrom, Editor Doug Cook Design LLC CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Audrey Albrecht, Jenny Evans, Cheryl Giattini, Mason Goss, Ed.D., Chris Lechowicz, Eric Milbrandt, Ph.D., Carrie Schuman, Ph.D. CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS Shane Antalick, Jean Hall, Miri Hardy, Andrew West SPONSORING PARTNERS Doc Ford's Rum Bar & Grille Sanibel Captiva Trust Company OPEN TO THE PUBLIC Native Landscapes & Garden Center at Bailey Homestead Preserve 1300 Periwinkle Way (239) 472-1932 Sanibel Sea School 455 Periwinkle Way (239) 472-8585 Main Office (239) 472-2329 SCCF Sea Turtle Hotline (978) 728-3663 Shorebird Inquiries shorebirds@sccf.org www.sccf.org | info@sccf.org P.O. Box 839, Sanibel, FL 33957

With your help, SCCF's good work goes on!

As we move through our islands’ 2022 “high season,” there is a great deal of solid mission-driven work to celebrate and share in this magazine with our valued members and neighbors. We are so grateful to Doc Ford’s Rum Bar & Grille and the Sanibel Captiva Trust Company for underwriting this issue of Connecting You To Nature.

In addition to enjoying these articles that provide an in-depth look into the work we do, we hope you will also be inspired to use the enclosed envelope to make your tax-deductible gifts to our Annual Fund Drive before the fiscal year ends on June 30, 2022.

We still have not reached our post-pandemic stability and continue to struggle with increased costs and other economic challenges. We truly hope you can help SCCF reach our funding goal to balance the Fiscal Year 2021-2022 operating budget and other special projects and needs.

Please call Development Director Cheryl Giattini at (239) 822-6121 with any questions you may have about SCCF’s focused direction and how you can help. Thank you in advance for your consideration of this sincere request for your support.

S AV E T H E D AT E S

Thursday, March 10: Everglades Update Printed on FSC Certified Paper

Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) certification imposes stringent standards for forest management that benefits people, wildlife, and the environment.

Saturday, March 19: Cause on the Causeway Saturday, April 16: Beer in the Bushes

Cover photo by Shane Antalick

Dear Valued Members, Neighbors, and Friends,

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elcome to the Winter 2022 edition of Connecting You to Nature! We are excited to bring you a variety of stories highlighting land acquisition and other important conservation initiatives being pursued by our hardworking staff and dedicated Board of Trustees.

In this issue we look back on and celebrate a banner year for land acquisition. Your support has protected approximately 84 acres of sensitive lands in perpetuity, including the Puschel and Gretchen C. Valade Preserves on Sanibel, mangrove forest and critical habitat in Cape Coral along the Caloosahatchee, and three mangrove wetland parcels along the McGregor Boulevard corridor leading to our islands. Building on 54 years and more than 2,000 already preserved acres, these newly James Evans, CEO acquired lands protect wildlife habitat and our quality of life, enhance water quality, and help our community adapt to the threats of climate change. With the help of our generous donors, this is the legacy we are leaving to the next generation.

You will also find stories highlighting an important collaborative partnership with the University of Florida, milestones in longstanding coastal wildlife programs, and the latest updates from our Marine Lab scientists, policy advocates, Sanibel Sea School and adult programming educators, and the team that keeps the Native Landscapes & Garden Center thriving.

I am beyond excited to have the opportunity to lead this amazing organization and incredible team of conservation professionals and engaged members and volunteers.

An important part of SCCF’s ethos is ensuring the legacy of visionary islanders who have invested in environmental preservation and conservation: those who came before and cared about those who would come after. As SCCF’s new CEO, I am committed to carrying forward this organization’s longstanding traditions and building on the rich conservation history of those who came before me. My door is always open, and I look forward to working with you to protect and care for Southwest Florida’s coastal ecosystems.

If you are inspired by what you read in this issue, please consider contributing to our Annual Fund Drive using the enclosed envelope. As the new CEO, it is remarkable to me how fiscally prudent SCCF is—one of only eight environmental nonprofits statewide to earn a 4-Star Charity Navigator designation. You can be assured your philanthropic investment in our mission-driven work will be used thoughtfully and efficiently. Thank you in advance for considering this heartfelt request for your support.

Sincerely,

James Evans Chief Executive Officer

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Protecting Land A

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SCCF Land Conservation Steward Victor Young surveys Frannie's Preserve.

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and acquisition is entangled deep into the island roots of Captiva and Sanibel: SCCF’s land purchases

this last year are the most recent steps in a land preservation journey that has been ongoing since the 1960s. Late Captiva artist Robert Rauschenberg bought properties surrounding his home to protect the land from the fingerprints of development. Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling—during his time as the Franklin D. Roosevelt-appointed Chief of the Bureau of Biological Survey—was a major proponent for the Federal Duck Stamp Program which has resulted in the purchase of millions of acres for conservation.

Inherently, many of us understand that there are innumerable benefits to purchasing and managing land for natural features instead of infrastructure.

Historically, this strategy has been used for many reasons, including protecting ecosystems and habitats where vulnerable species live, breed, and feed; creating corridors so wildlife populations can circumvent roads and other barriers; and safeguarding locations with significant cultural value. In recent years, land acquisition has emerged as a vital linchpin of coastal resilience and climate change adaptation.

> Photo by Shane Antalick

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everal types of coastal habitat have shown their mettle for keeping pace with sea level rise by building up over time. Oyster reefs have surprised researchers by growing vertically at a rate that far outpaces expectations. Salt marshes and mangroves produce and accumulate sediment, building up the surrounding and underlying land. However, if they can’t gain height fast enough, habitats shift their physical location, including migrating inland away from the threat of rising waters. A wetland or beach with a path encumbered by development or hard armoring has little opportunity to do this, and instead will narrow away to nothingness—a process aptly called “coastal squeeze.” Keeping land undeveloped provides coastal habitats freedom of movement and the ability to flourish and persist into the future.

These coastal habits can become major supporting vertebrae in the backbone of coastal resilience when we keep their important ecosystem services—environmental functions that benefit human wellbeing— intact. Many of these services are paramount to natural and human systems’ ability to recover from disturbances, especially increased flooding events and more severe hurricanes that climate change will bring to our shores. Habitats categorized as ecosystem engineers that build complex three-dimensional structures—such as oyster reefs, seagrass beds, and marshes— can be effective at dampening incoming winds and storm surge. A study helmed by the University of California Santa Cruz and The Nature Conservancy translated that concept into dollars for Florida. The study estimated that mangroves curb more than $1 million in annual property flood risk and loss for Collier County.

During 2017’s Hurricane Irma, mangroves also averted $1.5 billion in storm damages, with $1.2 billion of that across Lee and Collier counties.

While defending the coastline, land acquisition supports the maintenance of wetlands and floodplains that provide the essential function of holding excess water from rain and storm events as well as tidal flooding and sea level rise. Tree canopies can reduce the amount of rainwater that reaches

the ground below. Creating space for these environments means water has somewhere to go during these events when impervious, urbanized surfaces shunt water to nearby properties and into local tributaries and waterbodies.

A significant nature-provided service that is inextricably linked to managing water on the islands is improving its quality when it makes its way back into our soils, and ground and surface waters. Vegetated landcover that predominates on preserved land removes pollutants and keeps nutrient and sediment loads in check.

In addition to storing water, sloughs, ponds, and marshes function as kidneys that remove pollutants as the water slowly percolates into underground aquifers, which provide drinking water. This buoys the robustness of surrounding wild spaces and their services we depend on while reducing factors that lead to the countless detriments of poor water quality.

As resilience funding, planning, and legislation continue to take serious stock of land acquisition as an invaluable component of adapting for our future, building coastal resilience is another sound reason to continue championing land preservation in our island communities.

—Carrie Schuman, Ph.D., Manager, Coastal Resilience

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This map shows the wide reach of SCCF's land preservation program.

SCCF Preserve Land

KUDOS TO THE PFEIFERS

Land Conservation Stewards

SCCF’s past year featured land acquisition achievements that varied in terms of location, acreage, and wildlife habitat characteristics.

These land transactions had one thing in common: SCCF’s representation

by Pfeifer Realty Group.

Beyond their professional expertise, the Pfeifer team also agreed to donate back all the commissions they were entitled to for their work.

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1969: First acquisition of 31 acres behind the SCCF Nature Center

"As stewards of the island, we are grateful that we are

1970-1979: SCCF acquires a total of 212 acres around the SCCF Nature Center and Sanibel River, now part of the Erick Lindblad Preserve

able to assist SCCF in

2021 acquisitions: 84 acres on Sanibel and in Fort Myers and Cape Coral

conservation lands"

2022 total acreage: 1,943 SCCF acres in addition to 443 acres acquired in partnership with the Calusa Land Trust Miles of waterway monitored: 34+

acquiring additional Mary Ellen and Eric Pfeifer With gratitude, we salute the Pfeifers and the Pfeifer Realty Group for their incredible demonstration of corporate philanthropy.

WILDLIFE & HABITAT MANAGEMENT

Frannie’s Preserve Grassland Restoration Blooms

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hen SCCF acquires land, it’s the first step in a long commitment to conservation and preservation because it’s closely followed by management through restoration and maintenance. SCCF has 112 properties where nature unfolds daily, monthly, and yearly. Frannie’s Preserve is a recent—and prime—example of how our work has shown immediate results in reestablishing a native habitat and drawing back wildlife following concerted restoration efforts in 2019 and 2020.

In 2019, SCCF added key pieces of equipment to restore critical habitats on SCCF lands.

A large John Deere tractor, skid-steer, and useful attachments were acquired to optimize staff’s time and efforts in keeping SCCF lands beneficial to native wildlife. After two years, the results of field work in 2019 and early 2020 are apparent as these areas are once again open, functional grasslands, rather than a thick stand of palm trees and shrubs squeezing out biodiversity.

SCCF conducts various types of restoration projects on conservation lands. The most common is restoring grasslands in uplands and wetlands. Restoration is essential due to the infrequency of fire events—natural or prescribed—which is the most effective way to keep lands in their natural state. Over a relatively short amount of time, shrubs, hardwood trees, and exotic plants can infiltrate and dominate open grasslands. Called “plant succession,” this process can be reversed but becomes more labor intensive over time as the plants deposit seed banks and thickets grow larger and denser.

During the summer of 2019, several plots between five and seven acres were restored with SCCF’s new heavy equipment. Immediately after these areas were cleared of unwanted plants, the area looked barren. However, in a matter of

weeks, new vegetation started to emerge and attract wildlife. The vibrant lime-green sprouts of many of these plants are both highly desirable and nutritious to varied species of native mammals, birds, and reptiles. SCCF’s restoration approach refreshes the ecosystem as effectively as fire events.

Two years of growth has returned the habitat on Frannie’s Preserve to a more natural state.

These plots were previously dominated by a mostly closed canopy habitat of cabbage palms (Sabal palmetto), salt bush (Baccharis halimifolia), and wax myrtle (Myrica cerifera).

The area is now dominated by an open canopy habitat of broomsedge bluestem (Andropogon virginicus), starrush whitetop (Rhynchospora colorata), and Sanibel Island lovegrass (Erograstis pectinacea), which are all more natural for the island.

The most effective method to keep these grassy areas open is to conduct controlled burns on a timely schedule. If that cannot happen due to weather or other circumstances, then alternative methods such as chemical (herbicide), mechanical (mowing), or handclearing treatments can prevent succession again. Sometimes, planting and/or reseeding of native plants is needed to give the ecosystem a jump-start after restoration, especially if it was in an undesirable state for a long time.

As we remain vigilant managing SCCF’s preserves, our staff is now mapping plans for our latest acquisitions—notably the 12-acre Puschel Preserve parcel SCCF acquired in 2021 thanks to generous supporters who share our belief that preservation and conservation are the first steps in caring for the environment.

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—Chris Lechowicz, Director, Wildlife & Habitat Management Program

Collaboration with UF Center for Coastal Solutions Yields Expanded Research

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and transport of algal blooms n 2021, SCCF entered into a in the Lake Okeechobee strategic partnership with the watershed and estuary.

University of Florida’s Center A graduate course called for Coastal Solutions (UF-CCS).

Coastal Policy Lab— an During 2021, the strength of intersection of science, the collaboration increased engineering, and policy—also from a trickle to a firehose. emerged through last fall’s SCCF's Wilmeth Cottage was collaboration. The course used by visiting researchers, for engineering and law post-doctorate and graduate students was co-taught by UF students, and technicians from Environmental Engineering UF-CCS. Sciences Assistant Professor A $2.3 million research grant Christine Angelini, Ph.D., and from the U.S. Environmental UF Legal Skills Professor Protection Agency and the and Conservation U.S. Army Corps of Clinic Director Tom Engineers to the SCCF Mary Ellen Ankerson. Coastal Marine Laboratory and Eric Pfeifer have provided a gift to SCCF Policy Lab topics is focused on the to support a University of included mangrove Caloosahatchee Florida research fellowship trimming, water and water quality to provide additional quality in the around the scientific expertise to island’s East End barrier islands.

SCCF in studying canals, dredging This grant was our barrier islands. impacts on seagrass, leveraged to expand and incorporating sea the monitoring of level rise and coastal resiliency harmful algal blooms by into the Sanibel Plan. The taking advantage of a UF students and professors supercomputer and the presented their findings on talented CCS faculty to Nov. 18 and 19 at the Bailey analyze the causes, drivers,

RedBlue Red Blue BlueGreen Green An Introduction to Water Quality in Southwest Florida ON DISPLAY AT

Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum through June 12 A partnership by Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum, Sanibel-Captiva Conservation Foundation, and The News-Press

Homestead Preserve.

Other research from this collaboration included the analysis of sick shorebirds and prey items for brevetoxins during a red tide event and an analysis of flow and nutrients from the watershed and Lake Okeechobee and their influence on red tide blooms by UF quantitative environmental scientist Miles Medina, Ph.D.. An experiment on macroalgae and decomposition of different algae types was conducted

by Patrick Saldana, Ph.D. student, to learn more about the storage and transfer of nutrients to the water column and sediments.

—Eric Milbrandt, Ph.D., Director, Marine Laboratory

Photo by Andrew West/The News-Press

Photo by Shane Antalick

MARINE LABORATORY

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SHOREBIRDS

Snowy Plover Nest Fates 2002-2021

Two Decades of Snowy Plover Protection

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n 2002, SCCF and J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge partnered to officially launch a Shorebird Nesting Program to better understand the island’s beach-nesting birds. The focus was on snowy plovers (Charadrius nivosus), but least terns (Sternula antillarum), and Wilson’s plovers (Charadrius wilsonia) were also monitored. The same year, the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) released a comprehensive report on the status and distribution of the snowy plover in Florida. The report identified Sanibel as a particularly important nesting site and indicated that protecting the habitat would be imperative for maintaining the population. It is unclear when snowy plovers began nesting on Sanibel beaches. A 1989 survey found none, and no official surveys were conducted again until 2002.

In 2001, SCCF staff and volunteers located, protected, and monitored as many snowy plover nests as possible, but quickly recognized the need for a larger, more coordinated effort. SCCF began recruiting volunteers to help with the new monitoring program in February 2002. Since then, volunteers, interns, and staff have monitored 328 snowy plover nests, and observed at least 141 chicks that survived to fledging age.

SCCF’s Shorebird Nesting

Program is part of the Florida Shorebird Alliance (FSA), a statewide collaboration to monitor and protect beachnesting birds. In 2011, the Florida Shorebird Database (FSD) was created. The FSD serves as a comprehensive repository for all the shorebird data collected by FSA partners in Florida.

The main objectives of the program have remained the same: to locate, protect, and monitor snowy plover nests, and collect data on productivity.

Initially, the focus was on

determining nesting plover numbers and success rates, which expanded to issues such as the effects of disturbance and food availability. In recent years, the steady decline in the number of nesting adults on Sanibel has become a significant concern. A number of factors could contribute to this decline, including loss of suitable habitat, increases in disturbance from human activity, increases in predator populations, emigration, and adult mortalities. Fort Myers Beach has seen an increase in nesting, which may account for some of the missing birds.

SNOWY PLOVER VIDEO In 2020, the City of Sanibel, in partnership with SCCF, Susan Beittel, J.N. “Ding” Darling Wildlife Society, and SanibelCaptiva Audubon Society, released a short video highlighting the threats Sanibel shorebirds face every day and offering simple ways beachgoers can be good neighbors to shorebirds and other coastal wildlife.

8 | SCCF — SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Scan the QR code to watch the video.

Photo by Jean Hall Photo by Miri Hardy

Orange Black

Ms. Sanibel Tracking Banded Birds Snowy plovers generally exhibit strong nest-site fidelity, returning to the same location year after year. However, banding has shown that some Sanibel nesters have been found nesting at Bunche Beach, Fort Myers Beach, Siesta Key, and Longboat Key—sometimes within the same nesting season. Marking birds with unique band combinations allows for a better understanding of their longevity, dispersal, migration, nesting productivity, and site fidelity.

Researchers from FWC came to Sanibel in 2002 to band snowy plover chicks, leading the way to a long-term study that continues today.

In the project’s early stages, resighting (later observation) of banded birds was mostly conducted by volunteers and

“Orange Black” is the oldest known snowy plover on Sanibel. She was a minimum of 12 years old when she last nested on Sanibel in 2020.

Orange Black was banded as an adult at her nest in May of 2009.

Between 2009 and 2020, she nested on the East End of Sanibel 16 times and at least one time on Fort Myers Beach. She has hatched at least 25 chicks from 10 nests—13 of which successfully survived to fledging. Orange Black has not been seen on Sanibel since December 2020, but staff and volunteers remain hopeful that she will return.

2017 was a tough year for snowy plovers on Sanibel; only a single chick made it to fledging age. The chick was banded with green and white bands, and disappeared from Sanibel shortly after it learned to fly. A few months later, biologists conducting a routine survey on Caladesi Island off Dunedin, Fla., located the fledgling. The fledgling survived Hurricane Irma and went on to nest on Siesta Key for the next few years. After many unsuccessful attempts nesting there, she moved to Caladesi Island where she has successfully hatched chicks for two seasons in a row. The volunteers who monitor her have affectionately dubbed her “Ms. Sanibel.” She has never been observed back on Sanibel.

staff on Sanibel. This allowed for a better understanding of nesting habits, productivity, and movement around the island.

Off-island resights used to be rare. With advances in technology and communication came an influx of banded bird reports.

Today, SCCF receives reports of banded birds through the U.S. Geological Survey Bird Banding Lab, FSA, Facebook, email, and eBird. We have confirmed that fledglings from Sanibel go on to nest in other locations, and that our nesting adults travel to other sites in the winter. Snowy plovers are not long-distance migrants, but they move throughout the region—with a few birds leaving the state for other destinations along the Gulf of Mexico, such as Mississippi and Texas.

The shorebird program has

expanded beyond monitoring and protecting beach-nesting birds to include year-round shorebird surveys and monitoring during beachsite construction. Year-round surveys help to identify significant changes in resident and migratory shorebird populations on the beaches of Sanibel and Captiva.

Monitoring for dredging and renourishment projects is an important task that is required to meet state and federal permit requirements.

Over the next 20 years, SCCF hopes to continue working with conservation partners to protect and monitor our shorebirds, continue to engage with the community, and increase public awareness to give our shorebirds a better chance at survival.

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ENVIRONMENTAL EDUCATION

Nature’s Life Lessons

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CCF addresses two important societal needs through its educational programming. As a conservation organization, we share the wonders of our local environment to foster the sense that nature has intrinsic value. We also bring adults and children into nature so they can develop new skills and heighten their self-confidence and insight into their abilities. Our goal is to provide opportunities for individuals to learn about the environment—and themselves.

By addressing environmental conservation and human development, we believe we are assisting in developing positive and responsible citizens who feel a sense of place, a place that’s worth protecting.

The educators and staff of SCCF and Sanibel Sea School espouse a philosophy of learning made popular by D.A. Kolb in the 1970s. Kolb is often referred to as the founder of “experiential education.” As the term suggests, we learn through our different interactions with and in the natural environment. Skills, concepts, and beliefs about our world and place in it are developed through personal experiences. We naturally adopt and integrate certain behaviors into existing constructs to survive, so ultimately, we need experiences that challenge us to grow. Experienced-based outdoor education promotes individual growth. Self-actualization blossoms in nature.

To guide SCCF education staff in this mission, the organization is a member of both the

Indelible Immersions at Sanibel Sea School Sanibel Sea School marine science educators design and deliver unique experiences for students daily. Educators encourage students to try new experiences and ponder unique questions about the environment—and have fun while doing it. Class topics focus primarily on marine life with two underlying intentions: engaging students in learning to value the natural environment while discovering something new about themselves. Students will learn about the three predominant types of local seagrasses and that the white pelican bobbing in the water is migratory. At the same time, we also hope that each student learns something new about themself in the process.

Self-confidence and interpersonal skills grow when students work together in the elements.

Regardless of age, seining in the shallows and collecting sea life sparks something in every student. For one student, it might be seeing a seahorse for the first time. For another, it is overcoming fear of the water. One student may conquer shyness and make a new friend, while that friend is noticing the abundance of life in the ocean. The students’ immersion in nature inevitably leads to discovery, which is likely to generate new behaviors and constructs. This is the goal of experiential education.

SCCF’s hands-on, experiential learning opportunities provide students with occasions to use all their senses: They can touch, feel, smell, and even taste components of Southwest Florida’s natural environment. Whether it’s holding a squishy sea hare, trudging through a smelly mudflat at low tide, tasting a salty mangrove leaf, or quietly paddling to hear the “phooph” of a surfacing dolphin taking a breath, Sanibel Sea School experiences are certain to facilitate a deep connection to our planet.

By connecting students of all ages to nature, SCCF educators inspire change in behaviors and attitudes towards nature and self. Paddling in 60-degree water, feeling

10 | SCCF — SANIBEL-CAPTIVA CONSERVATION FOUNDATION

Photos by Shane Antalick

North American Association for Environmental Education and the Association for Experiential Education. Here are some key components of SCCF’s educational programming.

the tickle of a mangrove crab in the palm of their hand, planting sunflowers in the rain, collecting hundreds of mangrove propagules, or combing the beach in search of coquinas while air temperatures are in the upper 90s— all are memorable experiences. Humans are innately conditioned to care for what they value, and SCCF education staff firmly believes we are opening eyes, minds, and hearts to the value of our environment. As Kolb and others before him posited, the process of learning must involve experience. A general appreciation for nature that expands through hands-on interactions is likely to evolve into environmental literacy and stewardship.

Connecting You to Nature SCCF provides many other opportunities for adults to reap the educational rewards of being immersed in nature, too. Residents learn through several hands-on, feet-wet initiatives such as Coastal Watch habitat restoration projects, Weeds ‘n’ Seeds nature walks, shorebird and sea turtle monitoring, and coastal clean-up initiatives.

Since July 2021, more than 70 individuals have provided 650-plus hours of work on Hemp Key in Pine Island Sound. Thousands of red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) propagules and seedlings have been planted to replenish mangrove forest destroyed by Hurricane Charley in 2004. A similar project is underway

at Benedict Key. While digging in during these restoration outings, volunteers are treated to all the Southwest Florida environment offers, including sightings of bald eagles, white pelicans, blue herons, manatee, dolphin, redfish, and mullet. During their time on the waters of Pine Island Sound, volunteers also experience nature’s power through changes in the tide, air and water temperatures, and wind direction.

Coastal Watch volunteers collect and plant hundreds of mangrove seedlings to restore eroding coastline. Weeds ‘n’ Seeds naturalists inform locals and visitors of the island’s varied flora, fauna, and habitats during weekly, guided walks. Dawn patrol sea turtle volunteers scour beaches for evidence of nesting.

Whether children are wading in the water with nets conducting fish counts or volunteer gardeners are weeding, digging, and planting native flora, these activities involve “doing” in a particular setting. Participants in SCCF and Sanibel Sea School programs learn some facts, attitudes are altered, and nature becomes more valued. Experiential education takes many forms, but we tend to believe that being outdoors and in the elements is the key to changing hearts and minds for nature and for self.

NATURE TEACHES. WHAT WILL IT TEACH YOU? —Mason Goss, Ed.D., Senior Director, Education WINTER - 2022 | 11

NATIVE LANDSCAPES & GARDEN CENTER

Opening Our Eyes to the Green World

Gumbo Limbo

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Joewood

hen Kermit the Frog laments “it’s not easy being green,” he may as well be singing about plants. In 1998, two American botanists introduced the term “plant blindness,” defining it as "the inability to see or notice the plants in one's own environment." They also noted that it leads "to the inability to recognize the importance of plants in the biosphere and in human affairs." in the moment.

Since then, the causes of Once the skill of observation plant blindness have been and identification have been investigated and debated. mastered, a new world opens.

What is not in doubt, however, It’s easy to get a sense of the is that plants are a keystone of annual rhythm of the seasons life—by creating oxygen and through plants. By looking absorbing carbon dioxide, as a at the same individual plant food source, providing shade, day after day, the subtle and the list continues. differences become apparent: The conscious decision new growth emerging, the to look closely at a plant color of a leaf before it drops, requires stepping away from and signs of insects munching the busy nature of our daily lives, disconnecting from our on a tender shoot. If you have ever planted a seed devices, and focusing on small and waited expectantly for details that would normally it to emerge from the soil, be overlooked. Determining you have experienced the a plant’s identity is often a excitement of discovering the matter of close observation: plant world’s subtleties. The noticing the shape of the same anticipation leads up to leaf tip, the number of flower fragrant Joewood (Jacquinia petals, or hairs on a stem.

Taking a close look at plants keyensis) flowers bursting from their buds or shiny new leaves is one-part patience, one-part sprouting from gumbo limbo fine-tuned observation, and a large measure of being present (Bursera simaruba) branches.

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Coontie Once this surrounding subtle beauty is noticed, a natural next step is to bring that beauty close to home.

The Native Landscapes & Garden Center staff specialize in teaching residents how to be successful growing, planting, and caring for native plants. Garden Center staff help people develop a green thumb. Gardening success starts with experimentation (whether successful or otherwise), developing close observational skills, and learning to discern small changes in each plant.

By simply stepping back, practicing observation, and learning by doing, the plant world slowly seeps into our consciousness. Whether planting coontie (Zamia integrifolia) in your yard or transplanting a red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) seedling on a shoreline, botany’s lessons— and rewards—are limitless when we open our eyes.

—Jenny Evans, Director, Adult Education

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