Category: Forests

“Ground” Yourself By Planting Florida Native Plants

by Anne Yasalonis and polkmg

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 Milligan

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 effort ... READ MORE

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

How to Create a Firefly Oasis

by Shannon Carnevale

June 12, 2021

Florida is a beautiful place to visit, with white sand beaches, many lakes, and other forms of natural beauty. However, once the sun goes down, Florida's light show is just beginning. Florida is home to 56 species of firefly, and each species ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
Tags: Central Florida, Fireflies, Kaitlyn Harwell, Shannon Carnevale

Where to Find Florida Fireflies

by Shannon Carnevale

June 5, 2021

As the Florida sun sets low in the sky, it is time for one of Florida’s spectacular wonders. The nightly firefly show. In dark areas near waterways with tall grasses, shrubs, or trees, you can catch a glimpse of the elusive Florida fireflies ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Central Florida, Fireflies, Kaitlyn Harwell, Parks, Shannon Carnevale

Webinar Series: Florida Arbor Day Celebration

by Shannon Carnevale

January 5, 2021

UF/IFAS Extension Polk County will host a series of webinars about urban forestry and urban trees in celebration of Florida Arbor Day, the week of January 11, 2021. They will focus on trees and tree canopy in Polk County’s residential and ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources
Tags: Arbor Day, Community Forests, Florida Ecosystem, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Jschelb, Scarnevale, Urban Forests

COVID-19 and UF/IFAS Extension

by Nick Place

March 15, 2020

Updated 03/16/20 As we continue to monitor COVID-19 in Florida, I wanted to take a moment to update our UF/IFAS Extension community about our current status, best practices and next steps. Please call your local UF/IFAS Extension office ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Camp, Clubs & Volunteers, Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Crops, Curriculum, Disaster Preparation, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Safety, Forests, Fruits & Vegetables, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Lawn, Livestock, Money Matters, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Recreation, Relationships & Family, SFYL Hot Topic, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, UF/IFAS Teaching, , Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: COVID-19, Featured Hot Topic, Hot Topic

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

by Shannon Carnevale

November 4, 2019

Updated for 2020 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 ... READ MORE

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

The Importance of Scrub Communities in Central Florida

by polkmg

January 3, 2019

What enters your mind when you see the glistening white sand and thorny plants of Florida’s scrub land? Do you see sandy, worthless land useful only for development? Or, are you aware that “most of the rare endemic vegetation of Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Natural Resources,
Tags: A Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Master Gardner, Polkgardening, Polkmg

Native Trees

by polkmg

October 23, 2017

by UF/IFAS Extension Polk County Master Gardener, Celia Beamish My favorite native tree is the native pine. Of course, there are several native pines, so a person with a bigger yard than mine could have a collection! Would that be cool or ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
Tags: Polkgardening

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