Tag: Florida Panhandle

Jellyfish sightings prompt vigilance along Florida Panhandle

by Megan Winslow
May 12, 2026

UF/IFAS and UF Health officials shared safety tips Thursday after reports of jellyfish near the Panama City Beach shore triggered purple flag warnings for dangerous marine life. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Bay County, Chantille Weber, Extension Bay County, First Aid, Florida Panhandle, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Jellyfish, Marine Life, Megan Winslow, Panama City Beach, Purple Flag, Sting, UF Health, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida

The Elusive Gulf Sturgeon

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

Mark Twain once said – “Everyone talks about the weather, but no one does anything about it.” A similar statement could be made about the Gulf Sturgeon – “Everyone talks about the Gulf sturgeon, but on one has actually seen one.” ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Tags: Florida Panhandle, Florida Sea Grant, Gulf Sturgeon

Barrier Island Wildlife in the Florida Panhandle; Part 5 The Dunes

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

The dune fields of the panhandle barrier islands closely mimic those in the deserts of the American southwest. With rolling hills of sand (less the rock), small, spaced shrubs, and high temperatures, hiking through the dunes reminds me a lot ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Tags: Barrier Island Wildlife, Dunes, Florida Panhandle, Florida Sea Grant

Barrier Island Wildlife in the Florida Panhandle; Part 7 the Marsh

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

The land of the wet and muddy – that’s what lot of folks call the salt marsh. If you have ever experienced walking through one you know why they call it that. Salt marshes are wetlands that are dominated by grasses and are partially ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Barrier Islands, Florida Panhandle, Florida Sea Grant, Salt Marsh

Barrier Island Wildlife in the Florida Panhandle; Part 8 Invasive Species

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

The definition of an invasive species used by the University of Florida IFAS has three parts. It is not native to the area. Was brought to the area by humans; either intentionally or accidentally. Is causing an environmental or economic ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Tags: Barrier Islands, Florida Panhandle, Florisa Sea Grant, Invasive Species

Barrier Island Wildlife in the Florida Panhandle; Part 9 Humans

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

Humans… No one species has altered the land, sea, and sky – as well as decreased the overall biodiversity of the planet in such as short time as has Homo sapien. Since we have arrived on this planet we have slowly dispersed across ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources
Tags: Barrier Island Wildlife, Barrier Islands, Florida Panhandle, Florida Sea Grant

The Evening Bats of the Florida Panhandle

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

My wife and I like to sit on our back porch and watch the sunset each day. We do not make all of them, but we try to make as many as we can. We often see small bats darting in all directions feeding on bugs. Recently we were enjoying a ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Bats, Florida Panhandle

Weekly “What is it?”: Prickly pear cactus

by Carrie Stevenson
May 12, 2026

When you think of cacti, you probably envision a vast desert landscape in the American southwest. Maybe there’s tumbleweed blowing by in your imaginary landscape, with the skull of a long-dead cow somewhere in the background. In reality, ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Barrier Islands, Florida Panhandle, Native Plants, Weekly What Is It

Weekly “What is it?”: Big Lagoon State Park

by Carrie Stevenson
May 12, 2026

My favorite place in Escambia County is a waterlogged stretch of the coast near Perdido Key. Known formally as Big Lagoon State Park, the over 700-acre property has hiking, biking, and paddling trails, fishing and wildlife viewing opportunities, ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Recreation
Tags: Coastal Wildlife, Ecotourism, Environmental Education, Florida Panhandle, Habitat Conservation, Hiking, Weekly What Is It

Meet the Map Turtles

by Rick O'Connor
May 12, 2026

Florida has a great variety of turtles. Actually, the species richness here is higher than any other state – though Alabama may argue. Many are familiar to us. If we have not seen them, we have at least heard of them. But that may ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Florida Panhandle, Florida Sea Grant, Map Turtles

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