UF/IFAS Extension and Hillsborough County Parks partnered to create a pollinator corridor in the Carrollwood neighborhood of Tampa, FL with funding from the ‘Viva Florida’ grant. The Florida Wildflower Foundation funds planting of native wildflowers and this pollinator corridor will support pollinators and provide wildlife habitat, while educating the public about the role of native plants. Our hope is that local residents will join in and plant pollinator plants in their own home gardens too.
In June 2025, the project was kicked off by planting native milkweeds at Carrollwood Village Park and adding a great biodiversity of wildflowers to VISTA Gardens, which added color and dimension to their existing wildflower garden. Planting and maintenance will be performed by Master Gardener Volunteers, VISTA Gardens volunteers, and Hillsborough County Park staff. Additionally, the planting day coincided with an ecology summer camp and participants received a presentation on the role of pollinators and a pollinator pot to take and grow at home.
The next planting phase of the Carrollwood Pollinator Corridor will occur in the fall with planting events at Carrollwood Village Park on Friday Nov. 7, VISTA Gardens on Saturday Nov. 8, and wildflowers will be installed at the Carrollwood Cultural Center on Friday Nov. 14 from 9-11am. To sign up to volunteer with our next round of planting events, please contact Tia Silvasy at tsilvasy@ufl.edu.
Native Plant Species for the Pollinator Corridor
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