Skidaway Audubon News: Audubon Tree and Plant Sale Underway

Pre-ordering for Skidaway Audubon’s Plant Sale has begun! This popular event brings a truckload of highly desired plants to Skidaway Island for convenient pickup, and this year, ordering is even more convenient.

Orders can be placed by scanning the QR code below at right, which takes eager gardeners directly to Skidaway Audubon’s plant sale webpage.  Residents also can access the website by visiting www.SkidawayAudubon.org. Order early for the best selection. The cut-off date for ordering is April 11. The sale pickup date is Saturday, April 15, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the outdoor pavilion behind the Methodist church. 

This popular plant sale features many plants that, when in bloom, attract butterflies, bees, and other important pollinators. This includes plants such as salvia, milkweed, and lantana. Additionally, a selection of understory trees, shrubs, grasses, and some ground covers are available.  Online ordering ends April 11.

“This is an important fundraiser, not just because it helps us fund our environmental conservation and education programs, but because these plants provide critically important habitats for pollinators,” said Skidaway Audubon President Dawn Cordo. “Butterflies, including the beautiful Monarchs, along with bees and other insects essential to the pollination of many flowering trees and food crops, are declining. This sale helps increase habitats, and smart landscaping is good for the homeowner, too. Understory trees, shrubs and groundcover can reduce the need for chemical fertilizers, help retain topsoil, and help purify the air. It’s a win-win!”

On the website, residents also can pre-order one of Bobbie Boyce’s bird houses, crafted from beautiful teak wood, which The Landings resident is making available for a $50 donation to Skidaway Audubon.  Skidaway Audubon, an all-volunteer organization, maintains the largest network of bluebird houses in the Southeast, the largest Diamondback Terrapin rescue project in the Southeast, a state-of-the-art bird cam, an invasive tree removal program, the pollinator Garden at Sparrow Field and other gardens throughout The Landings to help reverse the worldwide loss of pollinating insects, bat houses to reduce mosquito populations, an island-wide litter patrol, and weather stations to promote water saving irrigation practices. It also offers a speaker series and special events such as the “Birds of Prey” live raptors exhibition, and promotes environmental awareness and stewardship.

Membership in Friends of Skidaway Audubon is just $35 a year. To learn how to help support all of Audubon’s educational and environmental initiatives on Skidaway, visit SkidawayAudubon.org and become a supporter for just $10 a month. To learn more about Audubon programs and events, go to the website and click on Events.