Resources
1. OBBT Guide -- Ochlockonee Bay Bicycle Trail, St. Marks NWR Section
The Sarracenia Chapter offers this WILDFLOWER and Native Plant HIGHLIGHTS Guide to the St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge section of Ochlockonee Bay Bicycle Trail, Wakulla County, Florida. The section is 4.8 miles in length and is bordered entirely by permanently protected lands of St. Marks NWR.
Images: For slideshows of many selected wildflowers and native plants along the OB Bicycle Trail, by season, click the Galleries tab above.
2. Flora of Ochlockonee River State Park
A 543-acre property in two pieces, ORSP holds a nearly pristine tract of pine flatwoods and sandhills fronting the Ochlockonee River and other wide tidewater channels. Preservation of these plant communities by the Florida Park Service with conscientious management measures has been consistent with the mission of the Florida Native Plant Society.
The Park Service had compiled a plant list for ORSP through the years with the very limited resources it could commit to the job. Then Dr. Shirley Denton of FNPS visited and added many dozens of species to the list in 2010. Afterward Sarracenia Chapter members identified some 80 more species with their field work thru late 2018. They then made a compilation of all finds and the pre-existing list, tackled the demanding job of updating all plant nomenclature among the 487 species, and formatted this first flora ever produced by the Chapter. (The ORSP species count would pass 500 in mid-2019).
3. Sopchoppy Depot Park Gardens- 33 Rose Street, Sopchoppy FL
>>> Project Overview on City of Sopchoppy Parks Webpage
>>> Article on the Gardens, June 2023, in Palmetto, the Journal of Florida Native Plant Society
>>> Flower-of-the-Week Gallery 2024 2023 2022
>>> The Park Plant Species List
Several of our Sarracenia Chapter members helped with the planning of this 1.7 acre park in downtown Sopchoppy, Florida, across the street from the restored historic train depot. Many of our chapter members help with ongoing maintenance and provide major volunteer support. The park features a walking path, a children’s playground, 2 picnic pavilions, a music stage, and award-winning native plant landscaping.
There are over 100 species of native plants in the park. A smart phone with a QR reader allows a visitor to stop at native plants around the park and scan the QR code on the identification sign for detailed information about the plant. Having the plant IDs is a good way to learn more about our North Florida native plants and how they can be used for ecological sustainability and habitat preservation for the birds, butterflies and wildlife that rely on our natives.
A project soon to be finished is a seed library where visitors can pick up free wildflower seeds along with information on how and where to plant the seed in their own yards.
This little gem in downtown Sopchoppy has won several awards over the last couple of years: The Florida Native Plant Society 2021 Excellence Award for Institutional Landscapes, a Viva Florida Landscape Demonstration grant from the Florida Wildflower Foundation, and a beautification award from our local Keep Wakulla County Beautiful organization.
