The River of Lakes Heritage Corridor is helping to grow Agritourism in West Volusia County through wildflower cultivation. Growing wildflowers can provide additional income for area farmers looking to increase their annual profits.

Mark your calendars for the 2nd Annual Wildflower Festival, held Saturday, March 29, 2008. Details coming soon...

The area's inaugural Wildflower Festival was held March 31, 2007, thanks to the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor, the Florida Wildflower Foundation and University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS) Volusia County Extension.

Approximately 250 people visited with more than a dozen vendors selling wildflowers and wildflower seed, or providing educational information on growing and planting wildflowers.

Four educational programs took center stage including 'Growing Wildflowers for Fun and Profit,' by Dana Venrick, Volusia County Extension Horiculture Agent; 'Stetson University Native Plant Initiative,' by Dave Rigsby, Grounds Manager of Stetson University; 'Native Wildflower Seed Production,' by Dr. Jeff Norcini, Horticulture Professor with the North Florida Research and Education Center; and 'Taylor's Wildflower Adventure's Traveling through Florida,' by Dr. Walter Taylor, Professor Emeritus, University of Central Florida.

Some visitors opted for an afternoon field trip to area wildflower “hot spots", rich with wiregrass, lanceleaf coreopsis, summer farewell and others including Lyonia Preserve, Longleaf Preserve, and J.R. Newbold's Wildflower Farm in Crescent City.

Existing as an economic and cultural development agency, the River of Lakes Heritage Corridor aims to raise awareness of the scenic beauty of wildflowers along roadsides, as well as spur interest among local growers to see the great economic benefit of wildflowers as a cash crop. dvenrick@co.volusia.fl.us.
Univeristy of Florida IFAS Extension