Florida Milkweed Project Team prepares for Phase 2

L-R standing: Bill Bissett, The Natives; Ty Strode, AgriStarts; Marc Godts, Green Isle Gardens Nursery; Cammie Donaldson, FANN; Roger Triplett, Green Seasons Nursery, Lisa Roberts, Florida Wildflower Foundation. Seated, L-R: Sharon Dolan, Maple Street Natives Nursery; Stacey Matrazzo, Florida Wildflower Foundation, Nancy Bissett, The Natives; Scott Davis, US Fish & Wildlife Service, and Jaret Daniels, UF/Florida Museum of Natural History.

FANN growers and staff traveled to the University of Florida IFAS Mid-Florida Research Center in Apopka Friday, June 10, 2016, to meet with the Florida Wildflower Foundation, Florida Museum of Natural History and US Fish & Wildlife Services staff.

The Florida Milkweed Project Team is getting ready to enter Phase 2 of our program to expand availability and use of Florida native ecotype milkweed plants for landscape and restoration. Phase 1 has collected seed for four species (A. humistrata, incarnata, perennis and tuberosa) from 16 Florida counties throughout the peninsula and into NW Florida. Phase 2 will begin seed collection for more of Florida’s 21 native ecotype milkweeds and research into pest and fungus control issues that plague our growers. Seed and growing tips are available from Marc Godts, Green Isle Gardens Nursery in Groveland. Marc is FANN’s point person for milkweed production issues. FANN is happy to see that Marc has successfully coaxed AgriStarts into growing more native milkweeds. AgriStarts is an important supplier of liners to the industry and we hope to see many of their milkweed starts shipping all over the state and through the southeastern U.S.

FANN growers supplying wholesale milkweed for landscape and restoration
Butterfly Milkweed (A. tuberosa)
White Milkweed (A. perennis)
Pink Milkweed (A. incarnata)
Sources for home gardeners can be found at PlantRealFlorida.org

More on the Florida Milkweed Project

Project Goals:

• Collect and distribute native ecotype seed for use by growers and gardeners.
• Provide gardeners and industry professionals with information on seed collection, storage and propagation.
• Provide best practices information related to growing healthy, safe and sustainable crops of native milkweed in a production nursery environment.
• Educate gardeners and landscape professionals on the selection, use, cultivation and maintenance of native ecotype milkweed plants.

Project Team
Florida Wildflower Foundation
Florida Museum of Natural History
Florida Association of Native Nurseries

Florida Wildflower Foundation and Florida Museum of Natural History provided funding and outreach support. FANN has provided project coordination, seed collection, plant propagation and dissemination of production information via their network of growers.

Partners who have contributed information and seed during Phase 1 (June 2015-June 2016) include the Wildflower Seed and Plant Growers Association, Chris Parisi of Restless Natives, Pawpaw Chapter Florida Native Plant Society, Claudia Larsen of Micanopy Wildflowers and Scott Davis, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (based at St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge, where Scott oversees the refuge’s Monarch-Milkweed Initiative producing a great variety of native milkweed plants for habitat restoration in the region).

Phase 2 (July 2016-July 2017)
Plans include collection of seed for additional species, including Asclepias humistrata, production of additional promotional tools (e.g., brochures, tags) and the initiation of organized research on use of butterfly-safe pest and fungus controls.