I spent this past Saturday working at a "Pollination Celebration" held at the Panhandle Butterfly House. Located for over 20 years in Navarre, they’re now in the heart of downtown Milton, Florida. The facility is centered in a restored ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources
Century plants (Agave americana) look wild. They grow as thick succulents for years, giving the impression of an aloe plant on steroids. They squat intimidatingly on the ground, boasting giant blue-green leaves and no showy flowers. Their ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
There’s a running joke on social media that as you hit middle age, bird-watching suddenly appeals to you as it never did before. While I still wouldn’t consider myself a highly proficient birder, I have been trying to improve my identification ... READ MORE
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I can still remember the first time I saw a horseshoe crab (Limulus polyphemus) in the wild. I didn’t grow up on the coast, and owe much of my early and deep love of marine ecosystems to a brave and energetic elementary school science ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
The world of online plant shopping is wonderful in allowing gardeners to find plants that are not readily available in local markets. There are numerous reputable sources of plant material available online; however, there are also some unreliable ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, HOME LANDSCAPES
As mentioned in Part 1 of this series, when I first joined Sea Grant my advisory mentioned that water quality was a primary issue and that fish kills and health advisories were a concern. In Part 1 we addressed the fish kill issue, in Part ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Water
Over time, we have learned how building so much “gray” infrastructure (roads, buildings, parking lots) affects our water quality. To offset these impacts, we’ve started using green stormwater infrastructure (GSI) to bring back trees, ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
As the war against invasive species continues, we are always on the look for new potential threats. And we have one – the marsh dayflower (Murdannia keisak). Across the country, states spend hundreds of thousands ... READ MORE
Category: Invasive Species, Natural ResourcesWhen I first joined Florida Sea Grant, my advisory committee told me one of the larger issues in our community was water quality. As I dug a little deeper, they mentioned reducing fish kills and health advisories. Those who lived in the ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
For over 10 years now Florida Sea Grant, and numerous volunteers, have been trying to remove an invasive plant from Pensacola Beach, the plant is beach vitex. This vine from Asia can eventually impact our dunes in a similar way as kudzu has ... READ MORE
Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources