Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is an iconic plant of Florida, often dominating the understory of pine flatwoods habitats. Not only is saw palmetto endemic to Florida and the southeastern U.S., but it has also been referred to as a keystone species! ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
Rebekah Heppner, Master Gardener Volunteer Trainee No, that’s not a typo. I don’t meant truth, I mean truce. As in the truce my cats (who live on the inside of my screen porch) and the birds (who live outside of it) have reached. I planted ... READ MORE
Category: 4-H & Youth, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Work & LifeRebekah Heppner, Master Gardener Volunteer Trainee There, I said it. Yes, I’m a Master Gardener Volunteer, a trainee to be exact. But I don’t do this for the love of plants. I’m not kidding. I don’t really even like plants. When I ... READ MORE
Category: , Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Work & Life
Birds Are Starving Exotic (non-native) plants do not support the caterpillars that native birds need for food, causing birds to starve to death. If birds can’t find enough caterpillars, they can’t reproduce and they and their young starve. Birds ... READ MORE
Category: Home Landscapes, Wildlife, Work & Life
We all want a beautiful, flourishing, healthy landscape. Before you go and spend a bunch of money at the garden center, here are a few things to consider so you won’t waste your time and money. Make sure the plant is for our zone. ... READ MORE
Category: , Conservation, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, WildlifeMy colleague, Shannon Carnevale and I wanted to send a reminder about the last webinar of our Wildlife Wednesday Webinar series. This will take place next Wednesday, November 16th at 12:15pm EST as an online lunch-n-learn webinar. You can still ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, WildlifeAs my colleague Lara pointed out on February 15th, this week is National Invasive Species Awareness Week. We'll be teaching many classes (schedule at link above) around Pinellas County to help you learn about invasive plants. So why are invasive ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Work & Life
Have you ever wondered if we have native bees in Florida? We do, and a lot of them! We actually have hundreds of native bee species buzzing around and they are quite different from the non-native European honey bees we hear so much about. Nation-wide ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Wildlife