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Audubon chapters team up for first native garden contest

Winning homeowners in Volusia County will receive $500 to purchase Florida native plants for their yards.

By Melissa Lammers, Halifax River Audubon
| 4:00 p.m. February 2, 2023

Rudbeckia flowers, commonly called coneflowers and black-eyed-susans are native to Florida.

Ormond Beach Observer

On Feb. 1, Audubon launched the first Plant Real Florida for Birds, Butterflies & You contest. Winning homeowners in Volusia County will receive $500 to purchase Florida native plants for their yards.

Halifax River Audubon and West Volusia Audubon have teamed up for this contest to help local homeowners help birds and pollinators by creating valuable habitat in their own yards. For more information and to enter the contest, visit www.westvolusiaaudubon.org/P4Bcontest.

Birds and pollinators need Florida native plants to survive — 96% of North American land-based birds need protein in the form of insects to feed their chicks so they can grow strong enough to fledge. Almost all of the insects baby birds depend upon will only eat Florida native plants. So, if there are no native plants for the bugs, there are no bugs for the baby birds.

And no more baby birds means no more birds. North America has lost more than 3 billion birds in the last 50 years, mostly due to habitat loss.

By changing landscaping from mostly turfgrass and exotic (non-native) plants to Florida native plants, a residential yard can provide food and shelter year-round for resident and migrating birds.