Special Projects of the Pinellas Chapter Shirley's Trail Stroll this interpretive trail when you visit Heritage Village at Pinewood Cultural Park. It has been planted with tree and shrub species that are native to Pinellas County and which had special uses for Florida pioneers and Native Americans. In Harmony with Nature These two complementary educational presentations suggest ways to make choices in your garden that conserve resources, nurture wildlife, preserve a "sense of place" and, of course, include native plant species. Little Bayou Park Little Bayou park is in Pinellas Point in southernmost St. Petersburg. It is a 30-acre wild, passive park split into roughly equal halves by a south-flowing stream which spills into Little Bayou. The bayou is a tidal lake with mangrove, buttonwood and other coastal species growing along its edges. Invasive species removal is being done on the south side, in an oak hammock that was filled with air potato, syngonium (arrowhead), runaway native grapevine, Senegal date palms, guinea grass, bamboo, snake plant and pothos. Rubbish from years of dumping has also been removed. An interior, pine flatwoods area had been overrun with shoebutton ardesia, which was what first brought the area to Pinellas FNPS Conservation Chair Ray Wunderlich's attention. Ray enlisted the cooperation of the city of St. Petersburg, which has done a good job in killing the invasives and hauling plant material and rubbish away. Ray has organized several volunteer work days at the park, and the city is continuing to spray the remaining air potato, syngonium and bamboo. Currently, a SWFWMD grant for $5000.00 is being sought to replant these two areas, and a "Give a day for the Bay" event in cooperation with the Tampa Bay Estuary Program (TBEP) is planned for November 2008, with over 1000 plants and 100 pines to be planted.  Park at Rainbow & Mars   MLNP Butterfly Garden This native garden is just outside the classroom building at Moccasin Lake Nature Park, where we hold our monthly membership meetings. It includes plant species that provide nectar for adult butterflies and larval food for their caterpillars. Native plants in the garden include: beach sunflower beautyberry black-eyed susan blanket flower coralbean elderberry false indigo firebush greeneyes dotted horsemint maypop partridge pea pineland lantana privetleaf senna rosinweed scorpiontail tickseed trailing porterweed wax myrtle wild coffee wild lime American beautyberry trailing porterweed dotted horsemint rosinweed Click here for a list of plants for Florida butterflies and their caterpillars (PDF file). Click here to read the article "Attracting Butterflies to your Central Florida Yard" by Hernando Chapter member Sharon LaPlante