Building a Dry Garden Bed
Ask Master Gardener Volunteer Michele Hackmeyer In a previous blog, I described plants to consider using in a dry garden bed. Now I will describe what it takes to create the bed. Doing something… Read More
Tag: Panhandle Outdoors
Road Kill Snakes: What a Shame
Snakes are some of the coolest animals on the planet but I’ll admit to something right up front; when a snake surprises me, I still jump, often. Even if I seem composed on the outside,… Read More
Oyster Restoration Research Team Announces Nov. 14 Meeting
Project leaders coordinating the long-term oyster reef restoration study in Apalachicola Bay will be hosting an update meeting for the community on Nov. 14, 2017, from 5-6 pm in the Apalachicola Community Center. The meeting… Read More
In Search of Horseshoe Crabs
Back in the spring, I wrote an article about the natural history of this ancient animal. However, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) is interested in the status of horseshoe crabs and they need… Read More
The Benefits of a Living Shoreline
Imagine this… You are a sailor on a 16th century Spanish galleon anchored in a Florida Bay south of Tampa. You, along with others, are ordered to go ashore for a scouting trip to set… Read More
Microplastics Awareness Month
For almost 40 years, the Ocean Conservancy has held the International Coastal Cleanup in September. Across the planet hundreds of thousands of volunteers clean marine debris from their shorelines. The data collected is used by… Read More
Wildlife Food Plots for North Florida
Big Buck on the Move – Photo Credit Shep Eubanks, UF/IFAS About this time each year the minds of sportsman and wildlife aficionados turn towards the planting of wildlife food plots for use by wildlife … Read More
The Bumble Bee – One of Florida’s Vital Pollinators
Cotton is largely self-pollinating but attractive to bees. Pollination by bees can increase seed set per boll. Photo by Judy Biss “The happiness of the bee and the dolphin is to exist. For man it… Read More
The American Alligator: a new nuisance for the panhandle?
I recently saw a photograph of an American Alligator (Alligator mississppiensis) crossing Perdido Key Drive on a heavy rain day. This encounter would surprise some, and unnerve many. The majority of the nuisance wildlife calls… Read More
DNA Barcoding Our Way into Understanding the Lionfish Problem
In the late 1980’s a few exotic lionfish were found off the coast of Dania Florida. I do not think anyone foresaw the impact this was going to have. Producing tens of thousands of drifting… Read More