38 years of experience with native plants, ecosystems and gardening

Roger Hammer is a survivalist instructor for the Discovery Channel’s reality television show, Naked and Afraid, and lives with his wife, Michelle, in Homestead, Florida, where they manage a large tropical garden filled with native and exotic plants.

Previously, Roger was manager of the 120-acre Castellow Hammock Nature Center for the Miami-Dade County Parks Department for 33 years. He also served as part-time instructor and field trip leader for Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden for 22 years. 

In 2012, Roger received a lifetime achievement award from the Florida Native Plant Society, Tropical Audubon Society, and the North American Butterfly Association. He received the first Marjory Stoneman Douglas Award presented by the Florida Native Plant Society in 1982, Tropical Audubon Society honored him with the prestigious Charles Brookfield Medal in 1996, and in 2003 he received the Green Palmetto Award in Education from the Florida Native Plant Society.

Roger regularly speaks at educational events around the state and has given keynote speeches at Florida Native Plant Society state conferences and the 2008 World Orchid Conference in Miami. He is the author of several books and field guides on Florida native plants and wildflowers, publications which feature not only his writing but his exquisite photography.

A self-taught, widely recognized expert in the identification of Florida native plants, Roger has an honorary Doctor of Science degree from Florida International University.