Natural Environment & Landscaping
Our natural environment is a crucial part of Sanibel and Captiva’s current and future resilience.
Managing Water Impacts on Your Property
Water management including occasional flooding is already a consideration for many property owners across Sanibel and Captiva. The effects of climate change, including expected increases in heavy rain events, likely means even more home and business owners will be searching for options to help manage excess water in their yards and across their landscaping. While the following strategies are not suited for dealing with sources of flooding like the record storm surge our communities saw during Hurricane Ian, they may be useful for addressing impacts of minor flooding on people’s properties associated with more regularly-occurring rain events, especially when multiple strategies are adopted.
Links & Resources
- Construct a rain barrel system to catch excess rainwater (Note: overflow hardware is recommended for rain barrels, especially in response to particularly heavy rain events)
Possible websites:
- Rain Barrels: A Homeowner’s Guide
- Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens: A Guide for Harvesting Rainwater – Guide created for Fort Myers Beach
- Mask or Decorate Rain Barrels: 7 Ways to Beautify & Protect
- Create a rain garden on your property to help slow the flow of stormwater, encourage the removal of pollutants, and give local wildlife a boost. Interested property owners can confer with SCCF’s Native Landscapes and Garden Center, and the City of Sanibel Natural Resources Department for more information on appropriate plant species, especially if the resources below are tailored to different geographical areas.
- UF/IFAS Gardening Solutions Webpage about rain gardens
- Rain Barrels and Rain Gardens: A Guide for Harvesting Rainwater – Guide created for Fort Myers Beach
- A How-to Guide for Palm Bay Homeowners: Rain Gardens
- Plants in rain gardens need to withstand both wet conditions and dry spells. This Check out this brochure, this website, page 13 of the rain barrel and rain garden guide developed for Fort Myers Beach, and the Cape Coral littoral plant guide for some guidance on appropriate native species.
- Permeable surfaces may allow more water to percolate into the ground on your property and reduce the amount of polluted stormwater runoff entering our waterways
- UF/IFAS Extension Factsheet: Permeable Surfaces
- Section of City of Sanibel Land Development Code that describes development regulations according to ecological zone. For most ecological zones, allowable impermeable surface will be described under item “(g) coverage” within the “required conditions” section.
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Section of City of Sanibel Land Development Code that describes how coverage of permeable surfaces for a property is determined
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Tree Planting can help manage stormwater
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International Society of Arboriculture’s “Trees Are Good” tree care essentials webpage
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City Forests & Water – UF/IFAS Extension information on how trees can help manage stormwater
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Trees to Offset Stormwater: website with case studies including of several Florida cities, and focused on the capacity of trees to reduce stormwater
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Tree Planning and Planting Campaigns: A Guide for Reforesting Cities and Towns
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This article by the City of Sanibel’s Vegetation Committee highlights a few of the native shade trees in our barrier islands.
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Explore ways to hurricane-proof your landscaping
Supporting Our Wildlife
Our sanctuary style of living is prized by many of our residents, business owners, and visitors across our islands and embraces the balance between our human community and our natural one. The following resources highlight information about our native species and how we can help our local wildlife to thrive including by planting native vegetation that serve as their food.
- Check out the Sanibel Island Naturalist checklist or look for a copy of Living Sanibel: A Nature Guide to Sanibel & Captiva Islands by Charles Sobczak and the book Amphibians and Reptiles of Sanibel and Captiva Islands, Florida by Charles LeBuff & Chris Lechowicz to see what species you can find on the islands.
- This article by the City of Sanibel’s Vegetation Committee describes the importance of Cabbage Palms for wildlife
- What Does Landscaping for Wildlife Mean? (SCCF News)
- Incorporating native plants likecoontie and the native species of blue porterweed can help support local butterflies
- SCCF Sea Turtle Webpage – Read details about how keep our beaches sea turtle friendly
- SCCF Shorebird Webpage – Read details about how you can help our local shorebirds, and downloadSCCF’s local bird list for the Islands
- Read more from theCity of Sanibel and SCCF about our local protected gopher tortoises
- City of Sanibel Vegetation Committee’s Environmental Handbook
- Found an injured animal? Contact local wildlife hospital, Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW), for help.
Sourcing, Choosing, & Growing Native Plants
Native planting helps our local wildlife thrive but also supports our resilience in other ways. Native vegetation is better adapted to local conditions and thus needs significantly less fertilizer and water than non-native vegetation. This results in less impact to our local water quality which means healthier human and natural communities. Planting a variety of native plants helps stabilize soil and reduces erosion from flooding. Native planting can also be useful as a mitigation strategy for climate change, as vegetation can take up carbon from the atmosphere and lock it into its biomass.
Links & Resources
Source your plants locally at the SCCF Native Landscapes & Garden Center or look for other native plant nurseries on the Florida Association of Native Nurseries website
- All Native Nursery Center Guide to Planting Conditions (Right Plant, Right Place)
- Explore what species of plants are native to Sanibel and Captiva by checking out SCCF’s Online Plant Database or visiting the Institute for Regional Conservation’s Natives for Your Neighborhood webpage and entering your zip code
- City of Sanibel Native Plant Page
- City of Sanibel Vegetation Committee – Check out the Vegetation Committee’s series of informative articles, the City of Sanibel’s Environmental Handbook, and other resources for planting native
- Need help with planning or assessing your yard? A variety of organizations offer home visits including SCCF, the City of Sanibel Natural Resources Department, and Lee County Extension. Contact for more details on availability and eligibility.
- City of Sanibel Ordinance requiring the use of 75% native plants across the categories of trees, shrubs, and groundcover in most landscaping projects. Reach out to the City of Sanibel’s Natural Resources Department for more information.
- Resources around growing conditions:
- Stephen Brown UF/IFAS Lee County Extension Agent Factsheet: How to Interpret Salinity in Irrigation Water
- Stephen Brown News-Press Article, Homeowners Wonder: What do we do with the sediment left behind and replanting?
Co-existing with Our Local Beaches and Mangroves
Besides being an invaluable part of our local sanctuary-style living that focuses on balance with nature, many of our local habitats also provide us with valuable services. Local dunes and mangroves, for instance, help absorb incoming wind and wave energy which can reduce resulting damage from severe weather events like hurricanes. Marches can provide storage for excess water. Many of our island habitats provide water filtration benefits.
Links & Resources
- City of Sanibel Webpage about Protecting Our Beaches
- City of Sanibel Vegetation Committee article about Beach Zone Planting
- Coastal Resilience Connections: Our Essential Mangroves – SCCF article highlighting important benefits of mangroves
- Volunteer to help SCCF’s Coastal Watch with initiatives aimed at mangrove restoration and keeping our beaches clean
- City of Sanibel Mangrove Information and Guidelines
- City of Sanibel Vegetation Committee’s Environmental Handbook[C1] – especially the sections on beaches, and the Coastal Construction Control Line (CCCL) Gulf Beach Zone (applicable for beachfront property owners)