Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping

I have a very shaded lot and I have been adding ferns to my landscape. I know this is a silly question, but I want to know why they call my most recent purchase an autumn fern.

by Rebecca Jordi
July 5, 2016

No question is silly if you are curious about the answer. Dryopteris erythrosora, Autumn Fern, is also commonly known as Japanese Shield Fern. It has a slow spreading habit and an ability to tolerate neglect which makes it an ideal candidate ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Autumn Fern; Fern; Plants For Shade

Water in the Extension South Central District: Big Issues, Part I

by marylusk
June 24, 2016

Florida Commissioner of Agriculture Adam Putnam has said that in a state as diverse as Florida, water is the closest thing we have to a shared identity. I've been travelling up and down Florida's Gulf Coast the last two months learning about ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Blue Team Four, Bmap, Groundwater, UF IFAS Water Agents, Water

Water-wise awards

by Samantha Murray
June 1, 2016

Most people who look at Scott and Lisa Freeman’s yard probably assume it takes a lot of water to keep it so green and lush. They couldn’t be more wrong — this sub-tropical oasis requires nearly no water at all, thanks to its Florida-Friendly ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, Water
Tags: Brian Niemann, Lawn & Garden Hot Topic, Pinellas County, Tampa Bay Area

Water-wise awards honor landscaping that saves water without sparing looks

by Samantha Murray
June 1, 2016

Please see caption below story. CLEARWATER, Fla. --- Most people who look at Scott and Lisa Freeman’s yard probably assume it takes a lot of water to keep it so green and lush. They couldn’t be more wrong — this sub-tropical oasis requires ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life

I have things that move in my birdbath. What are they?

by Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman
May 24, 2016

Those little, squirming things in your birdbath are container-breeding mosquitoes (Figure 1). These mosquitoes are in their larval stage. Adult container-breeding mosquitoes lay eggs wherever water collects, which can be natural structures—like ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: BugWeek, Dangerous, Entomology, FAQ, Insects, Mosquito

I found worms with a spike for a tail on my tomatoes. What are they?

by Jennifer Gillett-Kaufman
May 23, 2016

Between April and November, you might notice spike-tailed green worms (Figure 1) feasting on your tomato plants’ leaves and fruit. These voracious creatures ravaging your garden are caterpillars called tobacco or tomato hornworms. The caterpillars ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: BugWeek, Entomology, FAQ, Insects, Pest, Tomato

Lizard’s tail

by Rebecca Jordi
May 4, 2016

I believe the plant is a perennial called Lizard’s tail, Saururus cernuus. Lizard’s-tail is a common emersed plant. It can be found as far north as Canada and west to Texas and to south Florida. Lizard’s tail is often found growing ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping
Tags: Lizard's Tail Plant

What are these dead critters I found in my garage?

by Rebecca Jordi
May 4, 2016

These creatures are actually terrestrial amphipods which belong to an order of crustacea. They look very similar to tiny shrimp therefore they were given the common name of lawn shrimp. Most amphipods live in salt and fresh water but there ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
Tags: Lawn Shrimp

Japanese serissa or Yellow rim

by Rebecca Jordi
April 20, 2016

I was glad you were able to show me a close-up photo of this plant. Although it took me a little while to remember it, I finally realized the shrub was Japanese serissa or Yellow rim, Serissa foetida. It can be grown in cold hardiness zones ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture
Tags: Japanese Serissa; Yellow Rim

Three-seed mercury wildflower

by Rebecca Jordi
April 20, 2016

This is one of those plants where some people call it a weed and others call it a wildflower. Acalypha virginica, Three-seed mercury plant, is a native annual and we here in Nassau County, Florida will begin to see it popping up in the wooded ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
Tags: Wildflower

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