Have you noticed small mounds of dirt forming in your garden or landscape recently or flying insects hovering just above the ground especially near flowering plants? If so, this time of year (September) is when we see these ground-nesting ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes
In an instant, from muted light to profuse and blinding, an assault of color and form on my freshly hatched eyes. Pulling tendril-like stalks close to my lacquer thin and transparent shell, I gather my composure. Slowly extending from the edge ... READ MORE
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More than a big lump of knobs and juice, sweet corn is a favorite crop for residential gardeners in Florida. Being native to the Americas, this plant has become a staple of our diet and the centerpiece of a good backyard barbeque. With corn ... READ MORE
Category: Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes
Welcome back to our monthly blog in which we discuss a few interesting facts about butterflies in general and a specific type of butterfly each month. Of the six known butterfly families, this month we will address the last two, the brush ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Registration is now open for Sarasota County's 17th Annual Sustainable Communities Workshop on Nov. 01. This day-long, first hybrid (in-person and online) event showcases strategies for healthy, resilient, thriving communities. About the workshop Under ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources
Tips from the Help Desk... Paper Wasps by David Austin Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator Friend or Foe? Many Gardeners might believe them to be the enemy. They wait on their paper nest creations ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
We receive many calls from homeowners having issues with worm-like, several inch long critters that turn out to be millipedes. Millipede populations periodically congregate as they migrate to other sites – maybe your lanai or garage. In ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Pests & Disease
From the coast to sandhills, pastures to homestead, dozens of mosquito species are found around Florida homes and neighborhoods. They ease through life in one of four forms - egg, larvae, pupa or adult. As adults, some transmit disease pathogen ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Work & Life
Welcome back to our monthly blog in which we discuss a few interesting facts about butterflies in general and a specific type of butterfly. Of the six known butterfly families, this month we will address the gossamer winged, also known as ... READ MORE
Category: , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
A common, but often underutilized plant, crossandra is an ideal companion for any landscape that offers part-sun and part-shade conditions. This native to India and Sri Lanka is a perennial evergreen shrub that provides a stunning combination ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes