Transcript
What inspires you from WFSU Public Media? Here's this week's Voices That Inspire. I'm Lily Anderson Messick, and I'm Director of North Florida Programs for the Florida Native Plant Society. I grew up here, and my mom was from Montana, and every summer my parents would send my sister and I up to my grandparents in Montana, and we spent our summers up there. But down in Florida, we didn't explore a lot, and we didn't really camp, and my mom got sick. She developed early onset Alzheimer's when I was pretty young. And caring for her and dealing with the loss of her nature and plants became a real cathartic experience for me. They helped me get through that difficult time. And then my dad eventually developed dementia after my mom passed away, and I cared for him while he was sick. And getting outside and just walking in nature was something that became kind of critical to my functioning and survival. It was what really refilled my cup and helped me to continue to keep going, really. I just started learning more and more about the Native plants in our area. I joined the Native Plant Society, and I went on field trips and started exploring it. And I was just flabbergasted to learn the diversity and beauty of this area. One of the things that really inspires me and gets me super excited, which is going to sound a little nerdy, but it's one of the things that is not really valued in the horticultural industry, and that's genetic variation. Seeing the differences in the shape and size and colors of the blooms and the leaves, it's so neat to me. And that variation is what makes Native plants so adaptable to their environment. That's what I love to see. I'm Lily Anderson Messick, and I'm director of North Florida Programs for the Florida Native Plant Society. You're listening to voices that inspire.