Sometimes you are blessed to work with wonderful people, and get to call them friends, too. Sometimes this leads to some heartbreak when they leave us. Our dear Wilma Holley, our master gardener volunteer and recently retired Florida Friendly ... READ MORE
Category: Work & Life
Mushrooms are often celebrated for their unique flavors and textures, but their versatility extends far beyond the kitchen. These fascinating fungi offer numerous health benefits and serve as sustainable alternatives in various dishes. In this ... READ MORE
Category: Food Safety, Health & Nutrition, Work & Life
Blog co-authored by Mary Ellen Boelhower, Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) graduate Meet Suzy Nolan, Volunteer Extraordinaire Indianapolis native Suzy Nolan grew up hiking and observing nature, but it wasn’t until the travel ... READ MORE
Category: Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
You may have heard the phrase "leave the leaves" before. It was first coined by the National Wildlife Federation, then popularized by the Xerces Society. After that, many other groups followed suit. Before we dive into what that phrase means, ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
At the Sarasota County UF/IFAS Extension Office, we've been cultivating a Food Forest to showcase the most productive, unique, and often underutilized fruits suited to our distinctive southwest Florida climate. Through this project, ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
All across the state, many disgruntled denizens adjusted their clocks this past Sunday, March 9, to accommodate daylight savings time. While this lets us have longer days, a historically helpful tool for farming...it can be a bit disruptive ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Hurricanes have left lasting scars on our landscapes in recent years, and Arbor Month 2025 offers us an opportunity to heal and rebuild by replanting the trees that are so essential to our communities. We are grateful to the Florida Forest Service ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Work & Life
Welcome to our Lawn Ornament blog series, where we explore the plethora of micro-plants that can help create a biodiverse, predominantly green, yet also delightfully colorful lawn that requires much less maintenance than a traditional grass ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Work & Life![a tangle of fishing line, plastic beads and other plastic waste on a beach. [credit: unsplash.com, soren funk]](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/files/2025/03/2025_Water_microplasticsBeach01_unsplashSorenFunk_CROP1650x470TINY.png)
We're hearing a lot about microplastics in the news, but what exactly are they and what can I do to reduce the impact of microplastics in our environment? Well, first, what are they? Microplastics are defined as plastic particles no larger ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Health & Nutrition, Water![photo illustration of resource conservation, with green earth globe set against backdrop of lush, green vegetation. [credit: pixabay.com, satheesh sankaran]](https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/sarasotaco/files/2024/07/2024_Waste_gbpBannerGreenEarthVegn_pixabaySatheeshSankaranCROP1650x470TINY.png)
The James Griffith Salon opened Aug. 1, 1988, in Venice as an AVEDA Concept Salon. Next came their partnership with The Gasparilla Inn & Club in Boca Grande, opening a second salon, and then expanding with a third location in Sarasota in ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation