How many native wildflower species will you find in bloom?

Florathon 2020 is a team competition benefitting Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund, a project of Indiana Native Plant Society.

What’s a Florathon?

Teams of two to six people—traveling together as a group—visit natural areas in Indiana during a 24-hour period of their choosing between Saturday, April 18, and Sunday, May 12, 2019. The object is to identify as many native wildflower species in flower as they can.

Team members enlist sponsors (family, friends, office mates, church groups, carpool, businesses, whatever) who honor the team’s efforts by making a donation to the Indiana Native Plant Society. This year’s Florathon proceeds are earmarked for Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund, which puts kids in touch with nature.

Sponsors who donate $35 or more are eligible for a one-year complimentary INPS membership (pertains to first-time members only).

Video of Bloomin’ Stellarias winning 2019 effort

How Do I Participate?

1. Form your team and give yourselves a name. Fill out the Team Roster sheet to facilitate contacting your team members.
2. Enlist the support of sponsors using the Sponsor Pledge Form.
3. Keep track of their commitments and payments on the Sponsor Pledge Form sheet.
4. Pick your natural areas to survey and choose the time you will visit. Visit as many as you want within the 24-hour plant-hunting period.
5. On site, record all the native herbacious species in flower (forbs) using the Species Sightings form. You can use the form with Common Names or the one with Latin Names, your choice.
6. Send in the completed Team Roster, Sponsor Summary, and Species Sightings forms and sponsor checks to Florathon Chair Barbara Homoya, 529 Hornaday Road, Brownsburg, IN 46112. The deadline is May 31, 2019.

Will There Be Prizes?

Yes, team awards will be announced at the INPS Annual Meeting. They will include:

• Most native species recorded
• Most money raised
• Best team name
• Most unusual native plant recorded
• Most counties visited

Competition Rules

The aim of the Florathon is for you to enjoy the outdoors, participate in citizen science, and have fun with your team while raising funds for a good cause. Just a few rules need to be observed:

1. Team should consist of two to six persons. No need to register your team in advance.
2. Team must travel and walk together as a group to find the native plants.
3. Team may record only the native species viewed within its chosen 24-hour survey period between April 13 and May 12, 2019. The county in which the species is observed should be recorded as well.
4. Only native wildflowers in bloom (forbs) may be recorded. No trees, shrubs, grasses, sedges, rushes, or ferns are to be included.
5. Team will make a good faith effort to identify plants correctly.
6. Team will record only plants actually seen. The honor system applies.
7. Be certain to acquire permission when visiting private property. On public land familiarize yourself with the property regulations. In most cases you are required to stay on marked trails.
8. Avoid visiting sites with fragile ecosystems and trampling tender vegetation.
9. Do not seek out threatened and endangered species, but if discovered do not publish location information, especially on social media sites.     

How Will the Proceeds Be Used?

Florathon 2019 receipts will enable school and youth groups to visit natural areas and engage with nature through Letha’s Youth Outdoors Fund. Since 2008, Letha’s Fund has supported trips for more than 15,000 children to experience nature under the guidance of knowledgeable naturalists. The Fund has also supported youth-initiated activities that bring them in closer contact with nature. School and youth groups apply for funding through a proposal process. Preferred groups are those with the least access to experiences in the natural environment. Learn more at www.indiananativeplants.org/education/letha/.

Will the Collected Data Be Used?

Records of which species bloom where and when are useful for tracking the health of our native plants and their response to climate patterns. We will share our citizen-scientist data with biologists and ecologists who can analyze our findings and plug them into their studies.

2020 Species Counts by Team