Roadside Revegetation

POLLINATOR-SPECIFIC CASE STUDIES
production certified by the Iowa Crop Improvement Association. About 6 to 8 years after the
initial collection, enough seed is available to sell to the public.
Successes of the project include increasing seed of 70 species, with nearly 120 ecotypes of
60 species released for commercial production and 180,000 to 200,000 pounds of ecotype
source-identified seed produced annually. More information can be found at www.tallgrassprairiecenter.org/natural-selections.
Photos: Maria Urice
13.2 A CASE STUDY FROM THE SOUTHEAST U.S.
The following case study from Florida highlights a unique citizen-based effort to protect
pollinator habitat through county policy resolutions that were subsequently supported by
pollinator-friendly management plans.
13.2.1 FLORIDA RESOLVES TO PROTECT WILDFLOWERS ON ROADSIDES
Florida, home to a great diversity of plants and animals, was once dubbed the “land of flowers”
by a Spanish explorer in 1513. Many of these wildflowers can be found on Florida’s 200,000
acres of roadsides. However, wildflower proliferation along roadsides
can be limited by the frequency of mowing. Roadside mowing can
be very intensive in some parts of Florida, particularly in urban areas.
When showy stands of wildflowers were mowed during bloom when
pollinators were present, concerned citizens contacted Florida DOT.
Jeff Caster, State Transportation Landscape Architect with Florida
DOT, describes the situation: “There would be butterflies on the side
of the road feasting on the native vegetation and we would come in
and mow it all down and we would get people naturally upset with
us. Environmentally conscious citizens called us to complain that we
were mowing down wildflowers and butterfly habitat.”
Florida DOT isn’t able to alter their management plans based on
direct requests from a garden club or an individual that wants less
roadside mowing. But citizens in Wakulla County found another way.
They worked with their county commissioners to draft a resolution
that made it county policy to preserve existing stands of roadside
wildflowers. Then, county staff worked with Florida DOT to develop
Roadside Revegetation: An Integrated Approach to Establishing Native Plants and Pollinator Habitat
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