My brother recommended I might like this blog.He was entirely right. This post actually made my day.You cann't imagine simply how much timeI had spent for this information! Thanks!

"An estimated 11 million metric tons of plastic ends up in oceans every year, a number that could triple by 2040 without serious action." This quote from an American Beverage Association article piqued my interest in plastics. Thank you for the thorough, well-written mini-lesson explaining the subject. Job well done!

Thank you for your post.Much thanks again. Really Great.

Where can I purchase 4” bare root sea oats Franklin county fla

Major thankies for the blog article.Really looking forward to read more. Want more.

Can you tell me where I can buy sea oat seedlings. I own a home beachfront on SGI. Thanks

Hello I have a wonderful avocado tree in my yard that is plentiful with fruit however I'm going to cut it down and I didn't know if perhaps UF was interested in taking it as a transplant

Are you able to speak about the strength of the various substances mentioned in this article? Because I have very thick, long, wiry, and gray hair; I try to purchase styling accessories (clips, pins, barrettes, etc. ) made of acrylic or cellulose because I think they may be stronger and more flexible, although they are more costly than some "plastic" items. My experience has been that the rigid "plastic" varieties break easily. Is this true or can you recommend other materials that can be used for the same type of application? Thank you, Dorothy Grifka 619-693-5057

How do i gey a app if the offices are closed due to corona

Should the roots of an infected tree be dug out and discarded to rid property of the bacteria or is it sufficient to cut tree off at soil line?

Im new to Florida so could you please tell me the process to pick berries im from Oregon and have harvested many different types of mushrooms,and forest vegetations and would love to try these berries

Thank you for your feedback, Frank. Here are a couple of links to our EDIS documents on beneficial insects. The following links include more of the commonly seen beneficial insects: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topic_beneficial_insects and https://mrec.ifas.ufl.edu/lso/BANKER%20IST/Beneficial%20Insects%202.pdf that you can cut and paste into your browser. Though not an exhaustive compilation, they are a good start for identifying beneficial insects in your garden. Have a great day!

Many thanks, that information is a real eye opener and I'm sure there are more beneficial insects out there. Do you have a reference guide, thanks, Frank..

Hello Ms. Maia, I'm interested in planting sea oats for my very sandy urban farm in Altamonte Springs Florida. How can I obtain seeds or plants for our garden?! Thank you in advance. Mark

Hi would love to learn and help how to help the sea oat restoration at Atlantic Beach FL. We own in the Cloister. please direct us to wholesaler for Atlantic side. Thanks !

Does Flagler have a free wood chip Or mulch program for residents

Just read your article, which describes exactly our recent experience. We live part time at at Crescent Beach. On a New Years Eve beach walk we encountered thousands of these Jellies on our beach. We counted 200 every 100 yards or so of beach. Now I know why. Thanks! Info provided by my friends at Whitney Labs.

Hello! Participants must be a member of 4-H or FFA to show in the fair.

Do you have to be a member of 4H to enter chickens in the fair? My granddaughter raises hens and would like to participate

Hi Lauren, I've checked with some of our plant restoration experts and they say there probably isn't anything that you can do to improve the chances of recovery, but that the plants are surprisingly resilient, so hopefully most will do just fine given a little time...

I am a homeowner in Pinellas County. We lost about 40% of our summer planting during Tropical Storm Eta. Is there anything you recommend we do for the remaining plants to help them recover, or is best to leave them alone, and let Mother Nature take care of it?

Leroy was a household name in global aquaculture in the 1980s and 90s, serving as President of the World Aquaculture Society in 1994 when I was a graduate student in Germany and in the UK. Someone who knew so much and gave so much his whole life. Rest in Peace, Leroy!

LeRoy joined our St. Lucie Extension office in the year 2000 and was an instant fit with our crew. He amazed us with all the projects he was involved in already and then he added more. He made sure we all got some of the farm raised shrimp from the IRREC project next door! He always spoke so proudly of his wife and daughters. He will be missed.

LeRpy was a colleague but even more importantly, a very close friend. I find myself constantly thinking that I need to call him to talk about something that just happened. He has left a hole in my heart that will be there forever. Sleep well, amigo.

I'm afraid we are not able to help you find buyers for the saw palmetto berries.

Who do i sale these berries to

Hello, Marilyn. Yes, we do! Please go onto our website at flagler.ifas.ufl.edu and look for the updated blog posting about our Thursday Plant Clinic. There is a zoom registration link at the top of the announcement just below the title. Just click on that live link and a Meeting ID and password will be sent to you. This is the same ID and password for the whole month of July. We look forward to seeing there and please pass the word on to other friends or neighbors that would like to attend our virtual plant clinic.

Thanks for taking the time to reply. You're lucky that you have the time to comment in great detail on more than one of my recent posts. I love trees and my Masters Thesis was on the Reforestation of Golden Gate Park due to my interest in urban forestry. And yes, I'm well aware of laurel and "water" oaks tendency to hollow out and lose limbs from fast-growing narrow-crotched branches. I'm also aware that live oaks can live a long time but are still susceptible to toppling over in hurricanes or losing their root system from constant salt intrusion. I don't have that much trouble distinguishing between oaks because of their leaf characteristics and especially their highly contrasting bark texture. Thanks again for your interest.

do you have a zoom class for July?

Sorry, I do not know of any opportunities for obtaining free sea oats or other dune plants...

does the state provide free plants

If I lived near beaches where these turtles nest and leave hundreds on eggs to hatch, I would love to walk the beaches and inform visitors about the necessity of leaving the nests alone, and allowing plenty of room around them. Alas, I live in Michigan.

Hi Gerry, I am going to forward your question about funding to my colleague Erik Lovestrand in the UF/IFAS Extension Franklin County Office (elovestrand@ufl.edu) as he may be more aware of support that might be available in your area. The manual "Dune Restoration and Enhancement for the Florida Panhandle" might also be of interest--you can find it at https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/SG/SG15600.pdf. It recommends planting sea oats between December and April, with preferred dates being in March and April. Maia McGuire

We are also trying to restore the dunes and sea oats on a section of Carrabelle Beach on the Gulf Coast near Apalachicola after Hurricane Michael leveled the dunes and the sea oats. Are you aware of any local, state or federal programs to help on the purchase of the sea oats. We have already done a lot of work on the first steps to reestablish the sand dunes. Also, what is the best time to plant? THANKS for any suggestions you might have.

Hi Jack, sorry for the delay in responding--we are in the process of hiring a new horticulture agent. I am not sure why the link did not work for you--it is correct. Flagler County is considered to be outside the growing area for mangoes, although that could change as temperatures warm. Currently the northern limit for growing is Merritt Island (Brevard County). See https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdffiles/MG/MG21600.pdf for more information.

Maia, I enjoyed your informative article on Shells of pteropods on local beaches. Especially the information on Creseis acicula.. I live in Delray Beach and have looked on our beaches but have not found this sea butterfly. Do you know where I could find, have, buy, a couple of this shell for a scientific exhibit on Sea butterflies? Thank you, Anne DuPont, akdupont@bellsouth.net

Link for growing peach trees doesn't work. Also, how do you grow mangoes ? This is for Flagler county - central Fl. Jackkimball126@gmail.com (757) 693-1207 Thank you, Jack Kimball

Great to hear that!

Thank you for this article. St George Island here. I followed your suggestions, including the use of hydrating polymer (despite having been discouraged from using this material by others). Planted 1200 liners over about 1 month. Last plantings dome about 6-8 weeks ago. 97-98% survival rate with great majority thriving!

Hello, I really appreciate this information. Thank you for making the information easy to understand because I do not have a strong chemistry background. Anyway, I came across your article because I was thinking about suggesting switching the plastic cutlery my company uses to biodegradable plastic cutlery. I am making a conscious effort to use less plastic. If my company does not practice composting, how do you suggest we start? For reference were located in Oxnard, Ca. Also, what is your opinion on using wood cutlery. Is this a good option? Thanks, Nadine

Your article here is the helpful I've found anywhere. Thank you.

Great article, where canI buy sea oats or order them for the Ponte Vedra area thxs

The answer somewhat depends on the quantities you will be needing--there are a few wholesalers listed on the Florida Association of Native Nurseries' website. However, they only sell wholesale. If you are looking for a retail outlet, there are a few retailers listed here. You may also be able to work with a local nursery and have them purchase from a wholesaler and then re-sell them. The sources listed on the websites may not be the only ones (the websites only list members of the Association of Native Nurseries), but they are a good starting point. I hope this helps!

Pages 77-78 of the publication, Dune Restoration and Enhancement for the Florida Panhandle​, might be helpful!

Any advice on propagation from local seeds to replenish hurricane depleted dunes ?

I am looking to purchase sea oatsplants for doing restoration in Gulf County, Fl. affected by hurricane Michael if you know of any suggestions where I could purchase these, thanks

Hi...Thanks for the heads up...I'll pass that on to our website team...

Hello there, I do think your site could possibly be having internet browser compatibility issues. Whenever I liok at your web site in Safari, itt lookjs fine but when opening in Intfernet Explorer, it's ggot some overlapping issues. I merely wanted to give you a quick head up! Besides that, wonderful website!

Hi Janet--you might want to check out some of the activities on the K-12 page at www.plasticaware.org. Unfortunately there is no simple answer, and there is always the risk of making the problem seem so big that people may feel hopeless to do anything. I think it's best to focus on small acts--if every student in the class did not use one straw a week, for example. In a year, each student would have prevented 52 plastic straws from being thrown away. For a class of 20 students, that's 1,040 straws! This may help them realize that one person can make a difference, and if they can get others to take simple actions, their efforts will be multiplied greatly! Feel free to contact me directly at mpmcg@ufl.edu.

I'm an elementary art teacher in central Pennsylvania and would love some hints, tips or classes on how to reach our kids about the need to act. I talk about it and we recycle and make art using recycled objects - I just feel that I could use some ideas. Thank you, Janet

Can I get more info on the butt or base of the Madagascar Bismark when it is a very large tree. My trees base appears to be separating from the trunk at the top where the trunk skirt meets the stalk or body of the tree

Since Hurricane Michael recently wiped out all our sea oats on our Franklin County Bald Point beach property several , can you please advise where in Franklin or Wakulla County we could purchase sea oats seeds that would thrive in our area. Thanks!

Hi Jack. That's a great question. The thought seems to be that the population of pteropods increases based on food availability. Winds and currents can affect where the pteropods are located and whether (and when) the shells will get washed up on beaches. It isn't an uncommon occurrence in Florida (considering the state as a whole), but often occurs over a relatively small stretch of beaches at a time. The shells can wash back into the ocean with subsequent tides, so they may only be apparent on a particular beach for a few days.

Great explanation, but why are there so many on the beach...I've never seen them before...what happened or what is happening?

Wondering if we could plant sea oats as part of a Median landscape in Gainesville, Florida, or are sea oat plantings restricted to coastal areas and prohibited inland?

Whether or not you need a permit (in Florida, the permits come from the Department of Environmental Protection) depends on the size of the area to be planted, whether or not a sprinkler/irrigation system will be installed, etc. You may be required to coordinate with the local sea turtle patrol if planting will be done during sea turtle nesting season (to ensure no damage is done to nests that may be in or near the area to be planted. You can find your local DEP contact at https://floridadep.gov/water/coastal-construction-control-line/content/district-field-representatives-contact-list. That person will be able to advise you as to whether or not you need a permit (and if so, how to go about obtaining one).

Do you have to have a permit to plant sea oats?

Hi Nancy, There is one retailer near you listed with the Florida Association of Native Nurseries (www.afnn.org). 7 Pines Native Plant Nursery is in Defuniak Springs, and it sells sea oats in gallon pots, according to the website. There may be other retailers who carry sea oats but are not members of that association. Hope t his helps!

I live in okaloosa county and would like to get some sea oat plants...where would that be possible?

It is worth the trip! Be sure to get there early - it fills up fast and you'll see lots of other wildlife in the morning :)

I am glad you found it useful :)

Maia, Thank you so much for this valuable information.

Wow! I’m packing my bag for a visit. I had no idea you would be able to see so many manatee in such a short distance. It’s also so exciting to hear about our youth being able to see these creatures in person. Certainly this experience will be a meaniful memory. Thank you for the post!

Thanks for your question, Cindy. We have added a link at the bottom of the post to a website that has some images. Hope that helps!

Thank you very much for all this information. Can you provide pictures of what you describe of on the infected trees?