Category: Wildlife

Reassessing Meatless Monday: A Scientific Perspective on the Role of Meat in Sustainable Diets

by Bridget Stice and Jasi Romero

November 3, 2025

By Bridget Stice, UF/IFAS Extension Polk Meatless Monday campaigns urge the public to skip meat one day a week to "improve health and protect the planet". While reducing excessive consumption of any food can be beneficial, blanket campaigns ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Health & Nutrition, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, , Water, Wildlife
Tags: Agriculture, Beef, Bstice, Featured, Livestock, Meat, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkco, SFBF, Sustainability

How to easily grow Florida native milkweed in sandy landscapes

by Anne Yasalonis and polkmg

October 10, 2025

To support monarch butterflies, the University of Florida and other conservation groups recommend Florida native milkweed species as host and nectar plants. Currently, there are three native milkweed species that are most commonly found ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, , Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Butterfly, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Gardening, Master Gardener Volunteer, Milkweed, Monarch, Native Plants, Polk County, Polk County FL, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Pollinators, Sandy Soil, UF/IFAS, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Urban Wildlife Corridors

by Anne Yasalonis and polkmg

August 6, 2025

An important and growing landscaping trend is gardening for wildlife. This important conservation effort can help our native small wildlife populations with plants that attract and support a wide variety of our native species, especially birds, ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Central Florida, Florida Native, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Flowers, Gardening, Hurricane Preparedness, Master Gardener, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Plant Month, Native Plants, Polk County, Polkgardening, Pollinator Plants, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Your Central Florida Yard Podcast

Are There Snakes in Our Lakes? Here’s What UF/IFAS Experts Say

by Shannon Carnevale
August 6, 2025

You may have seen media reports about the various snakes found in Florida’s water bodies. This may be overwhelming or even scary to consider. However, while it’s not unusual to see a snake near water, University of Florida Institute of Food ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Living With Wildlife, Naturally Florida Podcast, Shannon Carnevale, UF IFAS Extension Internship, Wildlife

Celebrate World Snake Day with Naturally Florida

by Shannon Carnevale and Lara Milligan

July 16, 2025

Celebrate World Snake Day with Naturally Florida July 16 is World Snake Day! Florida is home to an incredible diversity of native snakes—many of which play important roles in maintaining healthy ecosystems. Learning about snakes in Florida ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Wildlife
Tags: Living With Wildlife, Polk County, Shannon Carnevale, Snakes

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

Know Your Beef – The Myths of Meatless Mondays

by Bridget Stice and Jasi Romero

May 12, 2025

Every Monday, some groups urge Americans to skip meat in the name of “helping the planet.” But here’s the truth: U.S. beef production is NOT the environmental problem it’s often made out to be. These campaigns rely on global averages ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Farm Management, Livestock, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, Turf, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Agriculture, Beef, Bstice, Featured, Livestock, Polk County, Sustainability

Atala Butterflies and Coontie Cycads: Signs of Damage and How to Protect the Butterflies

by Anne Yasalonis
September 10, 2024

There have been Atala butterflies sightings in and around Polk County, and while there is much information on the butterfly and its history of near extinction, it is important for homeowners and landscape managers to be on the lookout when ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Atala, Atala Butterfly, Ayasalonis, Butterflies, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Gardening, Jschelb, Polkgardening, Polkmg, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Wildlife

Support Florida’s Pollinators All Year Long

by Anne Yasalonis and polkmg

June 21, 2024

Landscapes that support our native pollinators are places filled with wonder! They help our environment by providing safe havens for our smallest of wildlife – bees, butterflies and more! Homeowners, institutions, developers – even apartment ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Wildlife
Tags: Anne Yasalonis, Ayasalonis, Bees, Central Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Florida-Friendly Plants, Flowers, Gardening, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Bees, Polk County, Polkgardening, Polkmg, Pollinators, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County, Wildlife

Florida Pesticide Licenses: Right-of-Way

by Luis Rodriguez Rosado
June 6, 2024

Florida is one of the most regulated states concerning pesticide applications. Florida has 13 different pesticide licenses with over 20 categories. This makes it difficult for applicators to understand what license is the one they need for a ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Professional Development, Recreation, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Pesticide License, Pesticide_applicator, Pesticide_protection, Right-of-way, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Polk County

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