I have a soft spot for bats. I know, I know, they give people the creeps and can show up in unwanted places (like attics and sheds). But collectively, the bats in our community eat millions of mosquitoes and agricultural pests every night. ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
When hiking around the Florida panhandle in midwinter, most snakes are undercover trying to avoid the chilly cold fronts that pass through and can drop temperatures close to freezing. So, the probability of seeing one is low. But one species, ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
In a garden with a variety of flowers, pollinators will be abundant. Sometimes we don’t always recognize the specific pollinator when we see it, but there are some native pollinators that leave other signs of their activity. One of our medium-sized ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
Crape myrtles are all around good tree selections for the landscape. When left in their more natural form with just a little selective pruning, crape myrtles can provide shade during our hot summer days. Learn the many qualities of the crape ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
When you think of reptiles, the ocean is the not the first thing that comes to mind. Swamps, jungles, and deserts maybe, but not the ocean. This makes sense though being that reptiles are more terrestrial than they are aquatic. In fact, at ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
We’re highlighting all things Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) in 2021 as the program marks its 20th anniversary. To learn more about FMNP, view the first blog post here. By Justina Dacey and Rick O’Connor If there were ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
I am not going to lie; slime molds are weird. They are weird in a “star role in a cheesy 70’s horror flick” kind of way. They come in nearly every shade of the rainbow and a wide variety of shapes, from fluorescent yellow piles and ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Late August is prime time for floating or canoeing down north Florida’s slow-moving, cold-water rivers. It is favorite summer tradition for our family, floating for hours in inner tubes and stopping to jump off rope swings. If you drift ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Unfortunately the Panhandle Outdoors Live events that we have enjoyed for the past several years are not possible right now. Given the limitations of the current situation, the Panhandle Outdoors team has moved ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
This blog will wrap up our series on Florida turtles for the Year of the Turtle (2020) – and we end with a good one – the gopher tortoise. We only have two true terrestrial species of turtles in Florida, and it does not get more terrestrial ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife