July 2021
Serving it Up with Parks and Recreation
Happy Fourth of July
Independence Day, commonly known as the Fourth of July or the Fourth, is a holiday commemorating the adoption of the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, declaring independence from the Kingdom of Great Britain.
Volunteer Opportunities
This is a community driven event. If the weather is not optimal use your best judgement, safety first!

Thank you for everything you do to support our community, our ecosystems and our environment.

From the Garden Program
Where To Find Native Plants 
 
Florida’s native plants are all around us, from our forests and wetlands to our parks and residential communities. Not every plant you see in Florida is a native one though. Plenty of tropical ornamental plants thrive here, too. So, how do you know which plants are Florida natives? 

One way to start learning is to visit the butterfly gardens at Conner Park, North Collier Regional Park, or Sugden Regional Park. Lead Volunteer, Connie Nagele, and her team of Garden Volunteers plant plenty of natives and, very importantly, label those plants!  

Each plant label includes the name of the plant, whether it is a Florida native or not, and photos of the butterflies associated with that particular plant. (Note: In general, Florida’s native butterflies are best served by native host plants, although some butterflies may reproduce on non-native hosts.) By just strolling through the garden and reading the labels, you can quickly start getting to know some of the most popular native plants used in butterfly gardens. 

Are you thinking about starting (or expanding) a butterfly garden at home? Visit the Naples Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society on Saturday, July 31st for a native plant sale! The sale will be set up from 9:00am-1:00pm in the large parking lot south of the Naples Zoo off Goodlette-Frank Road. For more information, visit the Naples Chapter’s website (FNPSNaples.org) or email Naplesnativeplants@fnps.org. 
 
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If you would like to volunteer with the Garden Program, we would encourage anyone with a passion for nature and willingness to learn, to contact Connie at her e-mail above, or Debra.Siciliano@colliercountyfl.gov, the volunteer coordinator for Parks, for more information.
Have you checked out your volunteer portal yet? You may sign up for volunteer opportunities from the comfort and convenience of your smart phone, tablet or computer.

We are posting new volunteer opportunities regularly. Log in to the volunteer portal and look for the Help Wanted button to see the calendar of opportunities.

Your login credentials are the e-mail address you have on file with us, and you will use password "1008". You will be prompted to change the password when you log in for the first time. If you have any trouble accessing your account please call me at 239-252-4033.