Category: Forests

Polk County “City Nature Challenge” 2026

by Shannon Carnevale
March 26, 2026

Participate in the City Nature Challenge BioBlitz The City Nature Challenge is a global celebration of biodiversity—and you can be part of it right here in Polk County. From April 24–26, 2026, community members across the region will join ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, Wildlife
Tags: BioBlitz, Citizen Science, City Nature Challenge, Inaturalist, Polk County, Shannon Carnevale

What’s Your Game Plan? Habitat and Game Management Workshop

by Shannon Carnevale
June 18, 2025

Do you own or lease land in Central Florida? Are you interested in improving your property for native wildlife or hunting? Then our upcoming What’s Your Game Plan? workshop is for you! Led by the UF/IFAS Natural Resources Extension in Polk ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Recreation, Wildlife
Tags: Florida Wildlife, Natural Resources, Polk County, Shannon Carnevale, Turkey, Turkeys

Spanish Moss, a new episode from Your Central Florida Yard podcast

by Anne Yasalonis and Julie SchelbAvatar photo
January 22, 2024

Spanish moss: creepy or cool? What comes to mind when you think of a southern landscape? Large, graceful oaks draped oh-so-perfectly with Spanish moss? Spanish moss is a quintessential part of our landscapes “down south” and it is often ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Plants, Podcast, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Spanish Moss, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Wildlife, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Lichen: A New Episode from Your Central Florida Yard

by Anne Yasalonis and Julie SchelbAvatar photo
January 12, 2024

Lichens, what are those? In this episode of Your Central Florid Yard, learn how to recognize lichens in the landscape and what exactly lichen are doing on your tree or even a garden bench or fence post. A new episode out now from Your Central ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Julie Schelb, Master Gardener, Native Plants, Podcast, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard

New Episode from Naturally Florida – “When You Think of Pines, I hope You Think of Pinecones”

by Lara Milligan and Shannon Carnevalelara milligan
April 17, 2023

We have all probably interacted with pinecones in some way, whether we collected them to start a bon fire, rolled them in peanut butter to create a bird feeder, or avoided them during pollen season. Pine trees produce pinecones, a unique ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
Tags: Naturally Florida Podcast, Pine, Pine Cone, Pine Tree, Shannon Carnevale
Foggy morning

“Ground” Yourself By Planting Florida Native Plants

by Anne Yasalonis and polkmgAvatar photo
January 8, 2023

Most gardeners everywhere enjoy the rewarding experience of being “grounded”, so to speak, by planting and maintaining beautiful garden spaces.  And what better way to become grounded in our local environment than by including Florida’s ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes,
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Gardening, Hurricane, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Plants, Plants, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Wildlife

Florida on Fire, a new episode from Naturally Florida

by Shannon Carnevale and Lara MilliganAvatar photo
November 30, 2021

Florida ecosystems have evolved with fire as a part of their system. Without periodic and regular exposure to fire, Florida's ecosystems often become unbalanced. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the US embarked on a nationwide ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Forests, Natural Resources
Tags: Fire, Florida, Lara Milligan, Naturally Florida Podcast, Shannon Carnevale

Go a little “greener” this year, consider a Florida native Christmas Tree

by Shannon Carnevale
November 4, 2019

If you’ve been looking for ways to make your holiday celebrations just a little more eco-friendly, consider getting a native Florida sand pine, locally-grown this Christmas! You can cut down your very own Florida native Christmas tree from ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources
Tags: Christmas Trees, Florida Ecosystem, Holidays, Shannon Carnevale, Sustainable Living

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