As autumn marches on and we finally experience cooler temperatures (minus the too-frequent muggy hurricane days this year), I always look forward to seeing one of my favorite native grasses in full bloom. Muhlenbergia capillaris, or Muhly ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
Walking along any Panhandle beach, the first thing you’ll notice growing on the dunes are the tall, stately sea oats (Uniola paniculata). Just about any visitor to our coasts knows the name of these grasses, but they may not realize how ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
Oh, the dreaded purple flags at the beach—the idea of “dangerous sea life” can complicate a day on the water. While those flags might be flown if there are sharks hanging around nearby or red tide in the area, they much more likely ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
I didn’t grow up on the coast, but we came down to the Gulf Shores/Perdido area every year when I was a kid. We spent a week getting sunburned and eating seafood and generally soaking up every minute next to the Gulf. At night, though, ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
The western Panhandle was dealt a tough blow by Hurricane Sally. We lost homes and trees, power and internet, work productivity and another week and a half of school. Our office flooded, and a very large on live oak tree on our Extension ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
There is possibly no more ubiquitous plant in the Florida woods than gallberry (Ilex glabra). One of at least ten native holly species found in wetlands and uplands throughout the state, it is a relatively unremarkable shrub except for its ... READ MORE
Category: Horticulture, Natural Resources
They named him “Lestat.” But unlike his bloodsucking namesake, the little Seminole bat clinging to the bricks of a campus building was purely interested in mama’s milk. Later on, he will develop a taste for insects, as his mother teaches ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife