Latest / Inside West Palm Beach / Going Native In WPB! Discover The Power Of Local Plants And Trees!
Transcript
- 14:04:54Welcome to Inside West Palm Beach. I'm
- 14:04:56Gerry Marcelo. If you could travel back
- 14:04:59through time to our city's earliest days,
- 14:05:01you would see a landscape much different
- 14:05:03than what we see today. You would see
- 14:05:06native trees and colorful scrub that
- 14:05:08never appear in a modern lawn. Today,
- 14:05:12we'll look at how
- 14:05:12going native has a lot of
- 14:05:14advantages in both beauty
- 14:05:16and in cost. That's next.
- 14:05:18[MUSIC]
- 14:05:26Joining me today is Lauren Butcher, one
- 14:05:28of two environmental education
- 14:05:30coordinators at Grassy Waters Preserve.
- 14:05:32There we go. Welcome to the show.
- 14:05:35Thank you so much, Jerry.
- 14:05:36It's a pleasure to be here.
- 14:05:38Tremendous to have you here. Before we
- 14:05:40get into talking about native plants,
- 14:05:42their importance, why they disappeared,
- 14:05:46and why we need to bring them back, let's
- 14:05:48talk a little bit about you. How did you
- 14:05:51find your way to a place like Grassy
- 14:05:53Waters Preserve?
- 14:05:54Wow. Well, I consider myself really
- 14:05:56fortunate to be able to look out on that
- 14:05:59beautiful Everglades wetland every day
- 14:06:02when I go to work. I have been an
- 14:06:05environmental educator for about almost
- 14:06:0820 years. I was in a graduate course on
- 14:06:15environmental education, had the
- 14:06:17opportunity to visit Grassy Waters for
- 14:06:19the first time. I was so taken. We went
- 14:06:24on a swamp tramp with which many of our
- 14:06:26visitors have the opportunity to do. If
- 14:06:29you haven't been out on a swamp tramp, I
- 14:06:30hope you will join us. But it is magical.
- 14:06:34This is a trail, an established trail,
- 14:06:37but it is submerged through the Cypress
- 14:06:40Swamp. To be surrounded by the Cypress
- 14:06:43and the air plants and the
- 14:06:44ferns, it's just gorgeous.
- 14:06:47Are you from the area?
- 14:06:48I am from the west coast of Florida.
- 14:06:51West coast of Florida.
- 14:06:52Yep. That's where I grew up. I've lived
- 14:06:54here for over 10 years and definitely
- 14:06:56consider South Florida my native habitat.
- 14:06:58Sure. One of the things that I've
- 14:07:01discovered talking to people about Grassy
- 14:07:03Waters is they are astounded that it's
- 14:07:07there. They're used
- 14:07:09to the sandy palms and
- 14:07:11the coconut palms and all the things you
- 14:07:13find on the seaboard and the tall
- 14:07:16buildings and all that. Then just a few
- 14:07:19miles, you basically go back in time.
- 14:07:21It's like a time machine.
- 14:07:22It really is. When we take people out on
- 14:07:25the preserve in
- 14:07:25Canoes, we say, "These are
- 14:07:27your time machines. You are going back
- 14:07:29into a pristine remnant of northern
- 14:07:32Everglades habitat. It's 23 square miles,
- 14:07:35primarily wetland habitat, Cypress Swamp,
- 14:07:40open freshwater marsh,
- 14:07:42and it is really magical.
- 14:07:44It's absolutely pristine, especially
- 14:07:47compared to the areas
- 14:07:49surrounding it that have been
- 14:07:50turned into ash.
- 14:07:51Well, and development. There are a lot of
- 14:07:54communities right around the preserve,
- 14:07:57but really the preserve has really been
- 14:08:02as you will find it for,
- 14:08:06gosh, it goes back over 100 years when
- 14:08:10Henry Flagler's water
- 14:08:11company realized that
- 14:08:13that was a place that needed to be
- 14:08:14preserved as a water
- 14:08:15supply for the growing city of
- 14:08:16West Palm Beach, and it still serves as
- 14:08:18our primary water supply.
- 14:08:20Well, let's talk a little bit, speaking
- 14:08:22of 100 years. If you were
- 14:08:24to go back in time to 1926,
- 14:08:28as opposed to 2026, I would suspect that
- 14:08:30our landscape, both
- 14:08:32around homes and also in the
- 14:08:34south, would be vastly
- 14:08:35different than we see today.
- 14:08:36Yeah, it would. I mean, the way that our
- 14:08:43neighborhoods, our cities, our
- 14:08:45landscape in many cases represent plants
- 14:08:48that are not originally
- 14:08:51found here in South Florida,
- 14:08:53so a different plant community that would
- 14:08:55have been found at the time, for sure.
- 14:08:57Now, do I remember the story correctly
- 14:09:00that one of the most iconic
- 14:09:03plants and trees that we have
- 14:09:05in Palm Beach County, the coconut palm,
- 14:09:08is not indigenous to South Florida?
- 14:09:09That is correct. That is correct.
- 14:09:12It wasn't supposed to be here.
- 14:09:13Yeah.
- 14:09:15We got named after it pretty much. So
- 14:09:19basically, the very quick
- 14:09:20thumbnail was that there was a
- 14:09:21shipwreck that ended up depositing many,
- 14:09:24many coconuts right on the beach.
- 14:09:27Yes, indeed.
- 14:09:28And they started springing up and they
- 14:09:30were introduced into our landscape.
- 14:09:33Yeah, that is correct. That's the story,
- 14:09:36I believe, the ship, the Providentia.
- 14:09:39But we do have some native palms. One of
- 14:09:42my favorites is the
- 14:09:43cabbage palm or the sable
- 14:09:44palm. It's probably a palm that most of
- 14:09:48your listeners and
- 14:09:49viewers are familiar with.
- 14:09:52But it is our state tree and provides
- 14:09:56great shade, great habitat
- 14:09:59for wildlife, great food for
- 14:10:01wildlife. And it's a beautiful tree and
- 14:10:04an iconic tree for this
- 14:10:06area and the southeast.
- 14:10:08Yeah, I don't assume, too, that it's
- 14:10:09extremely hardy. I bet it...
- 14:10:10Absolutely. Absolutely. And I know we'll
- 14:10:13get into this, but
- 14:10:14that's one of the advantages
- 14:10:15of native plants is that because they are
- 14:10:21adapted to this
- 14:10:22environment, to this climate,
- 14:10:25they are very hardy and they are adapted
- 14:10:29to our seasonal
- 14:10:30fluctuation between wet and dry
- 14:10:33to our subtropical
- 14:10:35temperatures. So indeed, very hardy.
- 14:10:38They're really gorgeous trees.
- 14:10:40Yeah.
- 14:10:40They're really pretty.
- 14:10:41Yeah.
- 14:10:41All right. Well, so let's dive a little
- 14:10:43bit into the kind of plants and trees and
- 14:10:47wildflowers and things that we would
- 14:10:49normally see in a native
- 14:10:50environment here in South Florida.
- 14:10:52What would you expect to see?
- 14:10:53You know, that's a really good question.
- 14:10:55And I think one of the
- 14:10:57things that we need to keep in
- 14:10:58mind when we talk about, let's say,
- 14:11:01Florida native plants,
- 14:11:03right? Florida is a big state.
- 14:11:04Yes.
- 14:11:05Right? So something that is native in
- 14:11:07Tallahassee or the Panhandle is not
- 14:11:09necessarily native or
- 14:11:11found in our county or further south. So
- 14:11:16it's really, I think, a regional approach
- 14:11:18and thinking about what grows and also a
- 14:11:20habitat approach because, of course,
- 14:11:23there are even in the
- 14:11:25Everglades, there are diverse habitats.
- 14:11:28There are, of course,
- 14:11:29wetlands like swamps and marshes,
- 14:11:32but also hammocks and pine flatwoods. And
- 14:11:35each of those would have a
- 14:11:37different plant community
- 14:11:39from the herbaceous level all the way to
- 14:11:41the trees that might be
- 14:11:42found there. And they really
- 14:11:43are indicative of that habitat. So
- 14:11:47there's not an easy
- 14:11:48answer to what we would find,
- 14:11:51you know, overall, but communities
- 14:11:53throughout this area of
- 14:11:55plants that would have been native
- 14:11:58to this place.
- 14:11:59Sure. So the idea is we can't speak in
- 14:12:01such a broad brush to say the entire
- 14:12:03state or the southeast.
- 14:12:05Exactly.
- 14:12:05Because, you know, it's
- 14:12:06going to be cold in Jacksonville.
- 14:12:09Yeah.
- 14:12:09It will be much nicer here.
- 14:12:12So we need to be focused on what sort of
- 14:12:15plants we would find right
- 14:12:17here in this area. To that end,
- 14:12:20we talked a little bit about the palm
- 14:12:23tree. What other
- 14:12:24things could we see here?
- 14:12:26Well, if we were talking about sort of a
- 14:12:29coastal habitat, you might
- 14:12:32have a very close to the shore
- 14:12:35scrub habitat, some small species of
- 14:12:38scrubby oak trees, saw
- 14:12:41palmettoes, that sort of close to
- 14:12:46the ground wind, buffered vegetation,
- 14:12:50some pines that again are
- 14:12:53adapted to those coastal zones
- 14:12:56and hammock habitats, perhaps more trees
- 14:13:01with berries and fruits, things like
- 14:13:06wild coffee, which is not something that
- 14:13:08we can use for coffee.
- 14:13:10So don't get excited.
- 14:13:11I just hear burke up.
- 14:13:12I just hear burke up.
- 14:13:15But things like mercene and marlberry
- 14:13:17trees or shrubs that are
- 14:13:20fruiting and provide great
- 14:13:22food for native wildlife as well.
- 14:13:24Well, I was fortunate enough to be a
- 14:13:27young boy up in northern Palm Beach
- 14:13:29County a long time ago.
- 14:13:32And during that period of time, we were
- 14:13:34able to wander around
- 14:13:35through open lots and open areas.
- 14:13:37And what I remember being very clear,
- 14:13:39because I was originally from New Jersey,
- 14:13:42coming here, you would have all these
- 14:13:44wonderful little plants and
- 14:13:45small trees and large trees,
- 14:13:48but there was seem to be a lack of grass.
- 14:13:51It was more like you'd be
- 14:13:52walking along to be large
- 14:13:54trees of sand and then a palmetto scrop
- 14:13:58or some other kind of
- 14:14:01planting. So is that something
- 14:14:03that we should expect in a native
- 14:14:06landscape? We see a lot of
- 14:14:08exposed sand in the area?
- 14:14:11Not necessarily. Again, it depends on the
- 14:14:13habitat. So we were talking
- 14:14:15about that hammock habitat,
- 14:14:17which is a little bit higher in
- 14:14:20elevation. And so much about what
- 14:14:23determines a different
- 14:14:24plant community in South Fortis is just a
- 14:14:26few inches of difference
- 14:14:28in elevation. And that makes
- 14:14:31all the difference in the types of
- 14:14:33plants, the soil that accumulates and
- 14:14:36develops under them.
- 14:14:38So in that hammock habitat, you would
- 14:14:40also have some of those
- 14:14:41cabbage palms, for instance,
- 14:14:43potentially some other oak species,
- 14:14:45laurel oak, live oak. So in a pine
- 14:14:51flatwood, you would have
- 14:14:53tall slash pines, but a lower level of
- 14:14:56grasses and wildflowers
- 14:14:58potentially. So again, it really
- 14:15:01depends. It depends. So if you have
- 14:15:03someone who comes to you and
- 14:15:04says, "Look, give me a hand. I
- 14:15:06want to return my lawn to Howard Woods
- 14:15:10and plant things that were appropriate
- 14:15:11for my exact location."
- 14:15:14You know what? There is a great tool to
- 14:15:16do that. There is an
- 14:15:19organization in Del Ray called the
- 14:15:22IRC Institute for Regional Conservation,
- 14:15:24and they have a tool on
- 14:15:26their website. I think it's
- 14:15:29natives for your neighborhood, but you
- 14:15:31can key in your exact zip code. And it
- 14:15:36will give you a list
- 14:15:38of plants that would have been found in
- 14:15:40that location that are
- 14:15:41found in native areas in that
- 14:15:44location. You know, I was just noodling
- 14:15:46around earlier and I just
- 14:15:48keyed in the zip code for where
- 14:15:50I'm in today. And there are probably 250,
- 14:15:53300 species of plants. And
- 14:15:55we're talking about trees,
- 14:15:58shrubs, grasses, flowers, vines, I mean,
- 14:16:02all sorts of things.
- 14:16:03And many of these things,
- 14:16:05you would really need to go to
- 14:16:07specifically a native plant nursery in
- 14:16:10order to find some of them.
- 14:16:12But there are a number of others that are
- 14:16:14more widely cultivated
- 14:16:15and may be very familiar.
- 14:16:18Some others that occur to me are things
- 14:16:20like coco plum or, gosh,
- 14:16:24wax myrtle. These are plants
- 14:16:27that you might find even in landscaping
- 14:16:32in some of our urban areas.
- 14:16:34Yeah. So, first of all, that website
- 14:16:39sounds fantastic. We'll
- 14:16:40have to provide a link to that,
- 14:16:42even though it's not in the city. We're
- 14:16:44happy to share information with folks.
- 14:16:45And it sounds wonderful. So, if I were to
- 14:16:48say, okay, here's a list
- 14:16:50of things that are natural,
- 14:16:52and it's supposed to be in my backyard.
- 14:16:54Are these things
- 14:16:55relatively available at a nursery,
- 14:16:58or are they harder to find? Well, again,
- 14:17:00there are some of them you
- 14:17:03can find in wide cultivation
- 14:17:05and others you would want to go to a
- 14:17:08nursery that's specifically
- 14:17:10dedicated to native plants.
- 14:17:12There's another resource that we might
- 14:17:15share with your listeners. It's the
- 14:17:19Florida Association of
- 14:17:20Native Nurseries, FAN, F-A-N-N. And if
- 14:17:25you go to their website,
- 14:17:26they have a directory of local
- 14:17:28native plant nurseries near you. So, you
- 14:17:31can go directly to them. I
- 14:17:33will also make just a plug
- 14:17:35for Grassy Waters Preserve because we do
- 14:17:38maintain a really nice
- 14:17:41little collection of native plants
- 14:17:43for sale at the Nature Center. So, you
- 14:17:45can come in and they are
- 14:17:47rotating all the time. So, you can
- 14:17:49come and see what we have. And we may
- 14:17:51maintain a few demonstration areas,
- 14:17:55gardens in and around
- 14:17:58the entrance area to Grassy Waters. So,
- 14:18:01you can see some of them
- 14:18:02and how they grow together.
- 14:18:04Great reason to go out to the preserve.
- 14:18:06Yeah. So, okay. So, this
- 14:18:09is all very interesting. So,
- 14:18:11if I indeed want to say, I want to...
- 14:18:14Now, before I jump forward,
- 14:18:16there's a term that has been
- 14:18:18bouncing around forever, "zeroscaping."
- 14:18:21Is this zeroscaping or no?
- 14:18:23Not quite. And there's another
- 14:18:25term that you might hear, "Florida
- 14:18:27friendly gardening,"
- 14:18:29right? And that's a little bit
- 14:18:30different than planting with Florida
- 14:18:32natives as well.
- 14:18:34Zeroscaping is great. And I will say,
- 14:18:39I'm not an expert on design, zeroscaping,
- 14:18:42that sort of thing. But essentially,
- 14:18:44zeroscaping is about using less water,
- 14:18:47which is a wonderful
- 14:18:49benefit. Certainly something that we
- 14:18:51promote and water conservation at Grassy
- 14:18:54Waters Preserve. But it's
- 14:18:58not necessarily with native
- 14:19:00plants. Same with Florida friendly. These
- 14:19:02are plants that are very
- 14:19:04hardy in our South Florida
- 14:19:06climate, but they're not necessarily
- 14:19:09native plants. And so, when we're talking
- 14:19:11about native plants,
- 14:19:13maybe we should circle back to some of
- 14:19:15the real benefits that these plants have.
- 14:19:19Again, these are plants, or if we're
- 14:19:21talking about animal species, they are
- 14:19:26original to this area,
- 14:19:29have lived and evolved here for thousands
- 14:19:31of years. And one of the
- 14:19:32benefits to that is that
- 14:19:34not only are they well adapted to this
- 14:19:36place, but they have this
- 14:19:39web of interrelationships
- 14:19:42and connections with the other species of
- 14:19:44plants and animals in this
- 14:19:46area, also those other native
- 14:19:49plants and animals. So that means that
- 14:19:52they have tremendous benefits for that
- 14:19:55natural community of
- 14:19:57plants and animals. They are also,
- 14:20:00because they are adapted to
- 14:20:02this area or any area in which a
- 14:20:04native plant occurs, it is in our area,
- 14:20:12very well adapted to some
- 14:20:13of those advantages of being
- 14:20:18able to use less water. Right. Right.
- 14:20:22They also, because they have natural
- 14:20:25defenses to some of the
- 14:20:28pests in the area, they require less
- 14:20:31pesticide use potentially,
- 14:20:33less because they thrive here,
- 14:20:35less fertilizer use. So really what we're
- 14:20:38talking about are plants that are a
- 14:20:42triple win. They are
- 14:20:43a benefit to wildlife in our area. They
- 14:20:46are a benefit to water
- 14:20:47conservation and they're a benefit
- 14:20:49to our wallet because we don't have to
- 14:20:52pay as much to maintain them with water,
- 14:20:55pesticide, fertilizer.
- 14:20:57So there are a lot of advantages to these
- 14:21:00and those other approaches to planting,
- 14:21:04they may capture some of those benefits,
- 14:21:06but not all three. I was
- 14:21:07about to say that because
- 14:21:08what you're describing here is that
- 14:21:11planting native plants that belong here
- 14:21:14captures some of the qualities that
- 14:21:16you're after, some of the
- 14:21:17objectives of zero escaping,
- 14:21:19but you have the added extra advantage
- 14:21:21that these plants work in tandem with
- 14:21:24each other. They're part
- 14:21:25of the same system and they become
- 14:21:28stronger because of it and they have more
- 14:21:29benefit because of it.
- 14:21:31Yeah, and more benefit to native wildlife
- 14:21:33as well. Really those
- 14:21:36interdependent relationships
- 14:21:38are not something that we can... They
- 14:21:43can't be created.
- 14:21:44They exist and we have to
- 14:21:48really enable the conditions that allow
- 14:21:52those plants and animals to
- 14:21:54continue that relationship.
- 14:21:56Gotcha. So would the approach be, I guess
- 14:22:00this would be up to the homeowner,
- 14:22:02do you decorate your landscape with
- 14:22:04native plants or do you create a garden
- 14:22:07area with them? What would
- 14:22:08be the best way to go for it? You could
- 14:22:11take a number of approaches.
- 14:22:13You could really look at it
- 14:22:14as an entire yard or portion of your yard
- 14:22:18or even focus on a
- 14:22:20small container garden.
- 14:22:22We're talking about using plants that are
- 14:22:25going to be excellent
- 14:22:26sources of food for native birds,
- 14:22:30native butterflies, other pollinators and
- 14:22:35wildlife. So you can
- 14:22:37imagine just a small area
- 14:22:39of native wildflowers would be able to be
- 14:22:42a source of food, of
- 14:22:45potentially host plants for
- 14:22:47native butterflies. I'm not sure if I
- 14:22:51know that probably many of
- 14:22:52your members of your audience
- 14:22:54are familiar with that term of being a
- 14:22:56host plant. But what that
- 14:22:59means is that for butterflies,
- 14:23:02they need a specific plant or group type
- 14:23:05of plant, group of plants
- 14:23:07that's the only one where they can
- 14:23:08lay their eggs and where their
- 14:23:10caterpillars can eat and
- 14:23:13thrive. And so without that plant,
- 14:23:16although the butterfly might find sources
- 14:23:18of food, it's not
- 14:23:20going to be able to find
- 14:23:21that place where it can complete its life
- 14:23:24cycle and continue to thrive as a
- 14:23:26species. So it's really
- 14:23:28important to have not only those sources
- 14:23:30of food for our native
- 14:23:31pollinators, but also those host
- 14:23:33plants where they can lay their eggs,
- 14:23:35where their caterpillars can
- 14:23:36get enough food to thrive so
- 14:23:38they can go into chrysalis, come out with
- 14:23:40those beautiful
- 14:23:41butterflies and continue to cycle.
- 14:23:42This goes back to what you said before.
- 14:23:44Everything's interconnected.
- 14:23:45Absolutely.
- 14:23:46You know, and by promoting native plants,
- 14:23:49you promote native wildlife.
- 14:23:53Absolutely.
- 14:23:54The profits are
- 14:23:56amazing. It's really great.
- 14:23:58Yeah. And I mean, you think about all of
- 14:24:00the enjoyment I know I
- 14:24:01get, and I know so many people
- 14:24:02get just watching wildlife, watching
- 14:24:05birds, watching
- 14:24:06butterflies and other pollinators.
- 14:24:08It's, you know, it's certainly, it is a
- 14:24:13way of giving back to
- 14:24:14nature, but it's also a way to
- 14:24:16benefit ourselves.
- 14:24:18All of this is really important to really
- 14:24:21keep people aware of our
- 14:24:23heritage, of our past and the
- 14:24:25importance of taking care of our
- 14:24:28resources that are natural to the state.
- 14:24:30And, you know, so there's
- 14:24:31an ongoing need to keep informing people.
- 14:24:34And to that end, from what I
- 14:24:35understand, October is what,
- 14:24:38Florida native plant month?
- 14:24:39It is Florida native plant month. That's
- 14:24:41right. So nationally, there is an
- 14:24:44observance of native
- 14:24:45plant month in April, but in Florida,
- 14:24:49October happens to be a
- 14:24:51really great time to celebrate
- 14:24:53native plants. This is a time when many
- 14:24:56of our native wildflowers
- 14:24:57and grasses are in bloom.
- 14:24:59We have just a little bit of an respite
- 14:25:02from the heat of the summer,
- 14:25:04right? The temperatures are
- 14:25:05cooling, so it's a great time to get out
- 14:25:07and experience natural
- 14:25:08areas and native plants. And
- 14:25:09it's also a good time to plant them
- 14:25:11because this time fall into winter is a
- 14:25:17good window for them
- 14:25:18to get their root systems established
- 14:25:21before we're back into the warmer
- 14:25:23temperatures and more rain
- 14:25:25of the summer months. So yeah.
- 14:25:28A perfect window to get people involved
- 14:25:30and to get smart about native plants.
- 14:25:32Absolutely. And, you know, Jerry, it
- 14:25:35occurs to me, we've been talking about
- 14:25:37native plants as an important part of our
- 14:25:43natural heritage in South Florida,
- 14:25:46but they're also a really important part
- 14:25:48of our future in South
- 14:25:49Florida, right? And certainly to
- 14:25:52preserving, protecting, and expanding
- 14:25:57those oases of nature
- 14:26:01that those native plants and
- 14:26:02animals depend on for their continued
- 14:26:05survival in our area. So it's certainly,
- 14:26:09it is a way to honor
- 14:26:11our past, but also a lifeline to the
- 14:26:14future for those species.
- 14:26:18I'm looking at my lawn. I really want to
- 14:26:20do a redo. Do I come to
- 14:26:23grassy? Do I find someone I can
- 14:26:25talk to? How do I get started? Oh, well,
- 14:26:27there are so many great
- 14:26:28resources in our community and in
- 14:26:30our state. But I would say if you are
- 14:26:34just getting started,
- 14:26:37start small, right? Okay.
- 14:26:39And learn as you go. Even if you
- 14:26:43identify, as I said, let's
- 14:26:46say you live in an apartment,
- 14:26:47but you have a balcony. You can do some
- 14:26:50container gardening with native plants,
- 14:26:52even right on your balcony. If you have
- 14:26:54more space to work with,
- 14:26:55you might choose a smaller
- 14:26:57section of that area and get started
- 14:26:59there and then build as you
- 14:27:02go. And so there are, again,
- 14:27:06great resources. I mentioned the Florida
- 14:27:10Association of Native
- 14:27:11Nurseries to find some
- 14:27:12locations where you could potentially
- 14:27:15purchase native plants.
- 14:27:16Certainly a visit to grassy waters.
- 14:27:18We would love to talk to you about native
- 14:27:20plants and show you the
- 14:27:21plants that we have there.
- 14:27:24But in addition, certainly the Florida
- 14:27:27Native Plant Society is
- 14:27:30statewide and they have local
- 14:27:31chapters. We have a Palm Beach County
- 14:27:33chapter. So that's a great
- 14:27:35resource. The Florida Wildflower
- 14:27:37Foundation is a great source of
- 14:27:39information. I mentioned that native is
- 14:27:43for your neighborhood
- 14:27:44initiative that might give you
- 14:27:46information about what specific plants
- 14:27:48you might want to consider
- 14:27:49for your specific location. Gosh, a lot
- 14:27:55of resources. There's a lot of resources,
- 14:27:57a lot of things going for you to become
- 14:28:00smart and become... But
- 14:28:02you know what? I really like
- 14:28:03the idea of starting small, experimenting
- 14:28:06with a controlled small box, as it were,
- 14:28:09if you're on a balcony. Because that way
- 14:28:11you'll find out if it's right for you,
- 14:28:13if it's something that you want to do.
- 14:28:14And chances are it will be and it will
- 14:28:16spark further interest.
- 14:28:17I'd assume it'd be a really great way to
- 14:28:19enfranchise young
- 14:28:20people into learning about
- 14:28:22native plants as well. Absolutely. In
- 14:28:25fact, one of the ways that
- 14:28:27I first became interested in
- 14:28:29native plants is through working with
- 14:28:31some of the schools as
- 14:28:32they were trying to create
- 14:28:33outdoor classrooms, living classrooms,
- 14:28:35and use native plants for nature
- 14:28:39observation and learning
- 14:28:40about life cycles and learning about
- 14:28:43plant parts and how plants work and
- 14:28:46photosynthesis, all of
- 14:28:48these things right on their school
- 14:28:49grounds. So yeah, there are many
- 14:28:52wonderful opportunities to
- 14:28:54support students, support kids in your
- 14:28:57life, and help them connect
- 14:29:00with nature, connect with plants
- 14:29:03and wildlife through native planting.
- 14:29:05Fascinating. What an important part of
- 14:29:08our heritage and part of
- 14:29:10our landscape that we need to preserve
- 14:29:13and to learn about and
- 14:29:14to propagate. I mean,
- 14:29:17you know, again, we hear many important
- 14:29:20voices say how we need to
- 14:29:21protect what we have left of our
- 14:29:23Everglades and of our wild areas. In a
- 14:29:27separate stream, we
- 14:29:29should be encouraging people to
- 14:29:32employ native plants that have always
- 14:29:37been here. They're
- 14:29:38strong, they're capable, and
- 14:29:40start sort of reassembling that part of
- 14:29:42our landscape that's been
- 14:29:44lost over the decades to
- 14:29:46just crabgrass and palm trees.
- 14:29:48Absolutely. I mean, this is part, as you
- 14:29:51say, this is part of our
- 14:29:52natural heritage. It's something that
- 14:29:56benefits us and benefits our natural
- 14:30:00community in so many ways.
- 14:30:02And so yeah, it's an opportunity that we
- 14:30:05have to just in small ways
- 14:30:07or large ways to give back to
- 14:30:09our natural world. Tremendous resources.
- 14:30:11I should all start with a
- 14:30:13visit out to Grassy Waters
- 14:30:14Preserve, a fantastic, amazing spot right
- 14:30:17here in the city of West
- 14:30:18Palm Beach. A lot of folks just
- 14:30:20like yourself, very learned and very
- 14:30:22willing to share the information and
- 14:30:24knowledge you have. And
- 14:30:25to that, I want to thank you for coming
- 14:30:26on the show and being a
- 14:30:27part of today's broadcast. Oh,
- 14:30:28thank you so much, Jerry. My pleasure.
- 14:30:30And we look forward to seeing you and
- 14:30:33your audience out of
- 14:30:34Grassy. Thank you so much. And thank you
- 14:30:37for joining us for Inside
- 14:30:38West Palm Beach. This podcast
- 14:30:40is a production of the City of West Palm
- 14:30:42Beach Communications
- 14:30:43Department. I'm Jerry Marcello.
- 14:30:46We'll see you next time.