Calusa Garden Club to Feature Alli Smith On March 9th

Calusa Garden Club of Marco Island is pleased to present Alli Smith at its meeting on March 9th, 2020. Her presentation will begin at 1:15 PM at Wesley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. Smith, Owl Watch Project Manager and Biologist for Audubon of the Western Everglades, will present Attracting Birds to your Yard: Burrowing Owls and Songbirds. Smith is a native of New Jersey and has been interested in bird life since her childhood. She has a Bachelor’s Degree in Wildlife Biology and is currently finishing her Master’s Degree at the University of Florida, studying the success of starter burrows. She has been working with the burrowing owls of Marco Island for 3 years.

February events for Calusa Garden Club included a Gadabouts trip to Naples Bird Gardens of Naples, a sanctuary for tropical birds including parrots. Pictured (left to right) are Sue Oldershaw, Virginia Reade, Donna Kay, Janet Watson, Monna Hormel, Jenn Ferrier and Linda Ariel. Sue Oldershaw is pictured holding a hyacinth macaw, the largest species of the parrot family. The Garden Club also participated in Marco Nature Night on Tuesday, February 19. The picture shows Linda Colombo and Sharon Lewis selling the Club’s informative Gardening Guide for Marco Island that contains instructions on how to care for your landscape and garden month-by-month, presented in a concise, weatherproof format.

Donna Kay and Sue Oldershaw presented a PowerPoint presentation lavishly illustrated with photos of Marco Island landscapes at the Marco Island Library on February 19, 2020. The presentation, entitled Gardening on our Island, was enthusiastically received by the over 30 attendees. The picture shows librarian Brenda Rasch, center, with Sue Oldershaw on the left and Donna Kay on the right.

Calusa Garden Club is a member of the Florida Federation of Garden Clubs and membership is open to those interested in horticulture, floral design and environmental matters residing 5 months or more in Collier County. 

Calusa Garden Club meets the second Monday of October and November, and January through March, at Wesley United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall, 350 S. Barfield Drive, Marco Island. Business meetings begin at 12:30 PM and programs begin at 1:15 PM. Calusa Garden Club welcomes visitors interested in our educational programs and visitors interested in membership. Contact the Garden Club at calusagardenclub@aol.com, or on the Garden Club’s website, calusa.org, or visit the Club’s Facebook page Calusa Garden Club.