The Lake Beautyberry Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society's mission is to champion Florida's native plants and their habitats and is proud to serve Lake County.
Our meeting location is at the W. T. Bland Library in Mount Dora. There is plenty of parking, access to the library services before and after meetings, outdoor features, such as the Butterfly Garden, Pavilion, and Forest Preserve hiking trails, and, of course, downtown amenities. We meet on the 3rd Sunday of alternating months starting in January.
Nematodes—Friend or Foe?
Root-knot Nematodes in Florida
Lantana (Lantana depressa) root with nematode “knots”
Nematodes are thread-like, unsegmented roundworms that live in soil and around plant roots. Due to its warm climate (no hard winter freezes) and sandy soil, Florida provides great habitat for nematodes. Although most nematodes are beneficial, some are plant parasites. These plant-parasitic nematodes are so tiny they can only be seen by using a microscope. They have a stylet or spear-like mouth part that punctures plant roots and sucks out the juices which can weaken a plant. Root-knot nematodes inject a hormone into the roots that causes “knots” or galls to form. So much damage can be done to the roots that bacteria and fungi can enter and cause rotting of the root system and even kill many kinds of plants. On trees and shrubs, root-knot nematode damage usually becomes apparent over time with gradual thinning of the leaf canopy.
This happened in my yard with seven large native lantana (Lantana depressa) that were planted three years ago, and this spring finally looked so bad that we decided to remove them. The roots were ugly, covered with warty-looking bumps galls or were completely rotten. My research showed that this was classic for root-knot nematode damage.
Since the planting area was too near to tree roots, we could not use black plastic to solarize the soil. We decided to try planting French marigolds (Tagetes patula) since they are reported to suppress nematodes, particularly root-knot nematodes, by releasing substances that are harmful to them and acting as a trap crop, preventing nematode reproduction.
Further research showed that Lantana depressa is especially vulnerable to root-knot nematodes so will not be planting any more of them in our yard.
I plan to report the results of our French marigold experiment in a future newsletter.
***UPDATE*** The Marigolds worked as the nematodes seemed to navigate to them and in turn the marigolds died as a result!
Success! Marigold is dead but so are the nematodes!
Article contributed by Suzanne Hill, Lake Beautyberry Chapter Member
Outreach Opportunity
NEXT CHAPTER MEETING
Lake Beautyberry Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society Bi-monthly Meeting is Sunday, November 16, 2025, at 1:30 pm.
The topic for November is Navigating HOA restrictions when adding native plants into your yard.
Meeting will be held at the W.T. Bland Public Library, 1995 N Donnelly Street, Mount Dora, FL 32757
Speakers: Neta Villalobos-Bell and Suzanne Hill
Do you find adding native plants to your yard is challenging because of HOA restrictions, blending in with a traditional landscape community, or negative feedback from neighbors. Attend this meeting for practical tips to overcome these obstacles. These suggestions are valuable even if you’re not in an HOA.
Free and open to the public.
2024 Landscape Award Winner, Award of Excellence in the Residential Category.
For more information, you can email lakebeautyberry@gmail.com
Partner Event
Monthly Nature Walks with Dr. Marc Minno - ONLY 2 DATES LEFT!
A 2 hour nature walk, “Bio-Blitz,” with Dr. Minno is a fun learning experience you will want to repeat monthly. Bio-blitz: a group of people, including scientists and the public, identify and document as many species of plants, animals, and other living organisms as possible within a specific area and time frame.
Butterfly expert Dr. Marc Minno’s series of walks are designed to increase awareness of the natural world around us. Sharpening your powers of observation and interpretation, you’ll see nature in a new light by observing insects, birds, and native plants. You may be familiar with some of his books. Florida Butterfly Gardening: A Complete Guide to Attracting, Identifying, and Enjoying Butterflies, Florida Butterfly Caterpillars and Their Hosts, Butterflies Through Binoculars: A Field, Finding, and Gardening Guide to Butterflies in Florida, and more.
Dr. Minno has a Ph.D. in zoology, 21+ years of professional experience as an interdisciplinary scientist and ecologist. He serves as the Lead Ecologist and co-founder of Eco-Cognizant, Inc. and worked formerly with the Saint Johns River Water Management District.
When: Saturday Dates: November 8, December 13
Time: 10:30am to 12:30pm, Bring a brown bag lunch if you’d like to join the lunch discussion with Marc from 12:30pm-1:00pm
Where: B.B. Brown’s Gardens at the Florida Scrub-Jay Trail, 11490 Montevista Rd. Clermont
Cost per workshop: $10.00 for members, $15.00 for non-members
R.S.V.P. required: 352 429-5566, or email info@scrubjaytrail.org, you can also visit https://www.scrubjaytrail.org/news/2025_news/2025_BioBlitz.html
Upcoming Activities at the Library
Forest Preserve Talk and Walks
1995 N Donnelly Street, Mount Dora, FL 32757
November 15, Saturday, 8:30am with “Florida Black Bear.”
Photo by Jan Stefka, https://floridawildlifefederation.org/
November 22, Saturday, 8am-10am, Coral Ardisia Removal Workday Forest Preserve, 1995 N Donnelly Street, Mount Dora, FL 32757.
Do you know someone that needs Bright Future Volunteer Hours? This is a GREAT way to earn them!
The weather is starting to cool off and it is a great time to get ahead of the Coral Ardisia seedlings that have come up. Volunteers have tapered off over the summer and the Forest Preserve could really use your help! Please join us at the trailhead (look for the ‘Forest Preserve Work Day’ sign) and bring your work gloves and garden clippers for this work day in the forest, with volunteers on hand to demonstrate proper removal techniques. Meet time is 8am at the entrance at the Forest Preserve located behind the library parking lot. W.T. Bland Library, 1995 N Donnelly Street, Mount Dora.
DONATIONS NEEDED
Any of the following items would be greatly appreciated to be donated to the Chapter for the “Free for Donation” tables.
- Healthy native plants in a labeled pot.
- Native plant seeds in a labeled bag.
- Florida specific books, such as plant identification, soil composition, composting, irrigation, propagation, gardening, wildlife, natural areas, hiking areas, and more.
*****Thank you to the members that brought in donations for the September meeting-the table was full and other members loved the resources that were available. Pictured below is the table full of the wonderful items brought in!*****
The Lake Beautyberry Chapter meets on the third Sunday of every other month (odd months) at the W.T. Bland Library in Mount Dora.
