Many of you may not realize that Florida is one of the few states in the eastern U.S. that still contains large intact wilderness areas.
The Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, passed by state legislators in 2021, set up the Florida Wildlife Corridor ― nearly 18 million acres of contiguous wilderness and farmlands essential to the survival of the state’s 131 endangered animals, including the Florida panther, black bear, swallowtail kite, and burrowing owl.
This corridor provides crucial connected habitat from the Everglades to the Panhandle, enabling threatened panthers to reclaim some of their original habitat. On the verge of extinction in 1970, with only 20 cats remaining, the panthers’ slow but steady recovery is nothing short of a miracle. Close to 200 panthers now survive in the massive stretch of contiguous land south of the Caloosahatchee River and they are starting to travel north of that boundary.
The operative word here is contiguous; as more farms and open spaces are added to the corridor, these animals can roam unimpeded, allowing them to procreate and survive.
Conserving natural wild spaces also mitigates greenhouse gases and increased temperatures. The Florida Forever program is working to conserve another 2 million acres within the corridor which currently lack protection. As the corridor is expanded, we will hopefully see an increase in the birds and wildlife that once traveled freely throughout the state.
In this context, the importance of native tree and shrub canopies cannot be overstated, not only for wildlife habitat but also for protecting our water supply. Pollutants and sediment in stormwater runoff wash into our lakes, streams and rivers causing severe damage to aquatic life. Native plant buffers along waterways provide invaluable protection by filtering pesticides, fertilizer nutrients, and animal waste. Tree roots obstruct bank erosion, while their canopies offer shade, shelter and food for birds and wildlife.
Tangled underwater roots of mangroves provide nursery habitat for a multitude of fish and other aquatic creatures. Bald cypress in the freshwaters of swamps and ponds filter pollution and soak up floodwaters. Native plants can serve to heal the ecological imbalances created through urban and suburban industrialization, while sustaining the existing ecosystems that remain intact. But we must respect them, plant them where they will thrive, and then maintain them with dignity.
The manicured mindset of many Palm Beachers often demands shearing and pruning of trees and shrubs into unnatural shapes; if left alone, these plants could grow into magnificent specimens. At Bradley Park, I was saddened to see our beautiful native coonties, Florida’s only indigenous cycad, sheared in half by some misguided “landscaper.” Coonties form lovely arching clusters of glossy fern-like foliage and are the host plants for the rare and stunning atala butterfly. Shearing them is absurd. I appreciate the fact that we must prune many plants to keep them in bounds, but shearing should only be used for specific, small leaved tall hedges, like buttonwood ― otherwise it is akin to an act of barbarity.
Read more:Rare atala butterfly is thriving in Palm Beach
An organization called Plant Amnesty, whose mission is to “speak for the trees,” is promoting awareness and encouraging correct pruning techniques and proper landscape management practice. This organization hopes to reduce “the senseless torture and mutilation” of trees and shrubs.
We’ve all seen these crimes against nature in many neighborhood backyards: trees topped to reduce height, shrubs sheared into balls and squares, Palms with mohawk cuts, leaving only a few pitiful fronds on the top. Palm fronds are the only source of nourishment for these monocots, which are incredibly wind resistant if left alone.
“Hurricane cuts,” as landscapers call them, are devastating to palms, leaving them far weaker than if only the lower fronds were removed.
Large-leaved plants like sea grape, clusia, and wild coffee should never be sheared; they should be hand pruned with clippers. The stems should be cut on an angle just above a node, where the leaf emerges, to avoid ugly barren stems. Sea grape can become an exceptionally beautiful tree if properly pruned; shearing leads to disastrous, disabling results. Most landscapers shear plants because it’s less time consuming, but of you want healthy, attractive plants in your gardens, insist they are pruned by hand. Landscapers won’t charge you any more as pruning is usually part of the contract, and your plants will thank you!
But getting back to the Florida Wildlife Corridor, each of us can contribute to a national wildlife corridor through Doug Tallamy’s inception of a homegrown national park. Tallamy’s books: “Bringing Nature Home,” and “Nature’s Best Hope” are both New York Times bestsellers emphasizing the importance of native plants and encouraging homeowners to provide wildlife habitat in their own backyards.
If everyone of us planted just three native trees or shrubs in our gardens, and eschewed pesticides and fertilizers, the effect would be dramatic. Pollinators and birds would find food and shelter, butterflies, bees and other pollinators wouldn’t be indiscriminately killed, and pets and children would be much healthier.
If you are wondering where to put these new plants, the answer is simple: reduce the size of your lawns. Lawns dominate our landscapes, and turfgrass has replaced 40 million acres of diverse native plant communities across the country. That alone is a staggering statistic but add to that the daily consumption of 8 billion gallons of water for lawn irrigation and the 80 million pounds of chemicals used by the lawn care industry, 40% of which are banned in other countries because they are known carcinogens. Also, 50% of lawn fertilizers are washed away before they are even absorbed by plants, ending up in aquifers, killing aquatic organisms and contaminating our drinking water.
The paradigm of a perfect weed free lawn must change if we are to survive. Here in South Florida, people get so fed up trying to keep their lawns healthy that they often opt for astro turf instead. This is perhaps an even more toxic solution as it literally kills the soil beneath it. If you love your large south Florida lawn, plant some shade trees in it. Most large lawns along the Intracoastal are rarely used because there’s no shade and there’s nothing interesting about a green lawn. If a few live oaks or gumbo limbos or dahoon hollies were planted in those lawns, you could add a hammock or swing, some chairs and benches and then go out and enjoy your property. And you’d be delighted with the plethora of birds and butterflies that would arrive to keep you company.
Some great native trees to add to your landscapes include dahoon holly, (Ilex cassine) gumbo-limbo (Bursera simaruba), southern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana), fiddlewood (Citharexylum spinosum), pigeon plum (Cocoloba diversifolia), Simpson stopper (Myrcianthes fragrans), Bahama strongbark (Bourreria succulenta), seagrape (Cocoloba uvifera), satin leaf (Chrysoyrcianthes fragrans)phyllum oliviforme), and of course, live oak (Quercus virginiana).
Wonderful shrubs include wild coffee (Psychotria nervosa), Jamaica caper (Capparis cynophallophora), Florida firebush (Hamelia patens), Bahama senna (Cassia chapmanii), spicewood (Calyptranthes pallens), Marlberry (Ardisia escallonioides), black torch ( Erithalis fruticosa), locustberry (Byrsonima lucida), elderberry (Sambuca nigra), and necklace pod (Sophora tomentosa).
As natives, these will thrive with minimal care and no chemicals, and all do well in sun or shade, except wild coffee, which definitely prefers shade. Their flowers will brighten your gardens while enticing pollinators, and their fruits and berries will encourage birds to visit, nest, and serenade you with song. So, save the earth and your neighborhood and start planting!
