UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County

All (About Elephant) Ears

by Theresa Badurek
March 4, 2026

Written by MGV Henry Bruce, Edited by Theresa Badurek Are you all ears to learn something new? Plants that go by the name of "elephant ears" are really a group of similar plants with different botanical names: Alocasia, Colocasia, and ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, Work & Life
Tags: Elephant Ear Plant, Exotic Plants, Florida Friendly, Invasive Plant, Sustainable Landscape, Tropical Plants

Water, Drought, Freeze!

by Lara Milligan
February 9, 2026

Water is a critical resource in the state of Florida, a statement that seems bizarre since we are a peninsula surrounded by water and many of our tourist attractions involve water (water parks, beaches, springs). The thing about water is it’s ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
Tags: Drought, Freeze, Lmilligan, Natural Resources, Water

Skip-a-Week of Irrigation

by Melissa West
February 6, 2026

There is still time to Skip-a-Week of Irrigation By Doris Heitzmann, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Program Manager If you have an automatic sprinkler system, the winter months are the perfect time to save water and increase the health ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water
Tags: Conservation, Florida Friendly, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Irrigation, Landscape, Landscaping, Lawn, Pinellas, Pinellas County, Pinellasco, Skip A Week, Sprinkler, Water

Don’t Let Your Plants Catch a Chill

by Theresa Badurek
January 26, 2026

Winter in Florida? Yes, we do get wintry days in Florida, although they are (thankfully) few and far between. Pinellas County is in USDA hardiness zone 10 and freezes are uncommon, but frosts can happen even when the forecast temps range in ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, Work & Life
Tags: Cold, Cold Protection, Freeze Protection, Frost, Frost Protection

Spotlight: UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County’s Natural Resources Agent

by Lara Milligan
November 17, 2025

Extension was the dream job I never knew existed. It was because of you that my position was ever created. You spoke up and said, “We need to educate on the value and importance of our environment and natural resources”. A sentiment ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Professional Development, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Lmilligan, Natural Resources, Pinellas County, Pinellas County Extension, UF/IFAS Extension, Water Resources

Spotlight: Pinellas County Urban Horticulture Extension Agent Theresa Badurek

by Theresa Badurek
November 12, 2025

Theresa Badurek, Extension Agent, Urban Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County I am the Urban Horticulture Extension Agent for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Extension in Pinellas ... READ MORE

Category: Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, Work & Life
Tags: Extension, Gardening, Horticuture, Master Gardener, Plants

Learn Through Listening: A Hurricane Podcast Series

by Lara Milligan and Shannon Carnevale

September 22, 2025

Naturally Florida podcast is in it's 5th season and is excited to announce a NEW series, all about hurricanes! Naturally Florida is a podcast designed to teach listeners about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here. Both ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Category, Hurricane, Hurricanes, Naturally Florida Podcast, Storms, Weather

Celebrate World Mangrove Day

by Katie Mastenbrook
July 26, 2025

Today we celebrate World Mangrove Day, a time to recognize the salt-tolerant trees that quietly protect Florida’s coastlines every single day. Mangroves are a critical part of our coastal ecosystems, especially here in the Tampa Bay region, ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Coastline Builders, Estuary, Mangrove, Nursery, Protection

See Smoke? Smell Smoke? Be In the Know.

by Lara Milligan, Ludie Bond, Raelene Crandall and David Godwin

July 14, 2025

Pinellas County isn't blessed with large stretches of green space, but we do oversee over 20,000 acres of parks and preserves. Some of these natural areas are managed using prescribed fire, and occasionally, they experience wildfires. Although ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Fire, Forest Fire, Prescribed Fire, Smoke, Wildfire

It’s Hurricane Season. Again.

by Cindi Hetz
July 11, 2025

Hurricane season starts on June 1 every year and goes until November 30. In 2024, Pinellas County was damaged by Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton and residents are still recovering. Most long-time Floridians know their zone and have ... READ MORE

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