Introduction Have you ever wondered how many honey bees are found in the world? Most people are familiar with what a honey bee looks like. A floating yellow and black fuzzball doing the all-important work of pollination. However, you might ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, , Crops, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
What do we really lose when we lose a tree? A thousand silent voices removed from the universal chorus. The tree is not a stand-alone unit, a single entity, a monument of stony bark, the tree is they. A connected symbiosis of lichens, fungi, ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Conservation Awards At the end of each school year, the Manatee River Soil and Water Conservation District (MRSWCD) sponsors a Conservation Award for one student from each FFA or 4-H chapter who participated in one of the board’s events. ... READ MORE
Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, , Conservation, Natural Resources, Water
The 62nd annual Manatee County Land Judging competition, sponsored by the Manatee River Soil and Water Conservation District, was held in late February near the Quattlebaum house at the Lake Manatee Water Treatment Plant. Forty six students ... READ MORE
Category: 4-H & Youth, Agriculture, , Conservation, Natural Resources
In celebration of Arbor Day and Earth Day, the City of Bradenton and Manatee County has once again partnered with Keep Manatee Beautiful and the Arbor Day Foundation to provide free trees to residents. City of Bradenton and Manatee County ... READ MORE
Category: Community Volunteers, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS
March 21st is National Agriculture Day! Founded in 1973, National Agriculture Day is dedicated to increasing awareness of agriculture’s role in modern society. This year's theme is "Growing a Climate for Tomorrow", putting an emphasis on ... READ MORE
Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Coasts & Marine, Crops, Farm Management, Horticulture, Livestock, Natural Resources, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
As if by magic, overnight, tucked neatly beneath a cap of mulch, or peaking deftly between blades of grass, mushrooms appear in all shapes, sizes, and colors imaginable. What we observe, recognized as mushrooms, are the reproductive spore producing ... READ MORE
Category: , Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
Bottlebrush: Florida Friendly or Foe? Bottlebrush is a common plant in the landscapes of Florida; you may know it for its showy red blooms that, resembling bottlebrushes, coined the tree’s name. Although it thrives in both south and central ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
At the annual Manasota Regional Envirothon held in early February, over 140 students on 26 teams representing eight Manatee and Sarasota County high schools competed at Oscar Scherer State Park in Osprey. The Envirothon is an outdoor environmental ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Events, Forests, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
41st Annual Cortez Commercial Fishing Festival: The Cortez Kind are Getting Ready to Party with a Purpose! Every February for the past four decades, people have gathered in one of Florida’s last true fishing villages to celebrate the cultural ... READ MORE
Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Events, Water, Work & Life