Category: Wildlife

An image of a group of people standing together in front of a large oak tree after a class.

Meet Dr. Mary Davis: A Florida Master Naturalist Success Story

by Zahir Ringgold Cordes and Katherine ClementsZahir Ringgold Cordes, Environmental Education and Outreach Program Assistant for UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County's Ecology and Natural Resources Program
April 6, 2026

Blog co-authored by Mary Ellen Boelhower, Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) graduate Meet Dr. Davis This is Dr. Mary Davis, a retired PhD Ecologist and Sarasota County volunteer. She is also a Florida Master Naturalist Program graduate. ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Florida Master Naturalist Program, FMNP, Fmnp-in-srq, Nature, Pgm_EcoNR, Volunteers
someone dressed as a tree out in a park with a family

Agents of Discovery Goes to the Beach! South County Parks and Preserves in April and May

by Katherine Clements
March 27, 2026

Agents of Discovery Goes to the Beach! This time around, Agents of Discovery will be live our first beach park to have a mission! Put on your Special Agent gear and head on down to North Jetty Park in Nokomis to explore nature like never before! ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Relationships & Family, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Agents Of Discovery, AgentsOfDiscovery, AoD, Beach, Family, Family Friendly, Gaming, Nature, Pgm_EcoNR, Youth
A tile mosaic of birds, trees and flowers.

Love Butterfly Gardening? Here’s How to Take It to the Next Level

by Ashley Ellis
February 22, 2026

If you’ve planted milkweed (Asclepias spp.) for the monarch butterfly (Danaus plexippus), passionvine (Passiflora incarnata or other native Passiflora spp.) for Gulf fritillaries (Agraulis vanillae), or added nectar flowers to bring in swallowtails ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Pgm_HortRes, Sarasota County Extension

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark! – Benefits of Dark Skies

by Evelyn Spencer, Zahir Ringgold Cordes and Jackie Lebouitz
February 6, 2026

Have you ever gone outside at night and wished you could see more stars? In the United States, 99% of the public cannot experience a natural night sky because of light pollution (Dark Sky, 2016). Light pollution is caused by inefficient ... READ MORE

Category: Home Management, Money Matters, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Pgm_Sustain, UF/IFAS Extension Sarasota County
Close up of milkweed flowers

Landscaping with Native Milkweeds in Sarasota County

by Ashley Ellis and Forest HeckerAshley Ellis, Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator in Sarasota County.
February 6, 2026

We often see gardeners using non-native tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica L.) in their landscapes—sometimes without realizing it was recently added to the UF/IFAS Assessment of Non-Native Plants in Florida’s Natural Areas list as ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Conservation, Environment, FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Nature, Pgm_HortRes
Person dressed in tree costume outdoors with an adult and two children looking at them

Agents of Discovery: Complete Four Special Missions by Jan 01 for a Field Agent Prize!

by Katherine Clements
January 12, 2026

What is Agents of Discovery? Agents of Discovery is an award-winning educational mobile game that turns the great outdoors into an interactive learning experience. Turn your next park visit into a mission and explore nature like never before! ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Conservation, Natural Resources, Recreation, Relationships & Family, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Agents Of Discovery, AgentsOfDiscovery, AoD, Family, Family Friendly, Nature, Parks, Pgm_EcoNR, Youth
Insectary room at the Mosquito Management Services Facility, with the Sarasota County Extension "ex•plore" program icon overlaying the image

ex•plore: Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services Facility Tour

by Erin Petersen and Jackie LebouitzAvatar photo
December 8, 2025

For over 80 years, Sarasota County Mosquito Management Services (MMS) has managed the surveillance and reduction of mosquito populations here in Sarasota County. To share more about their process, MMS generously offered a public tour of their ... READ MORE

Category: Farm Management, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: County, Explore, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, Management, Mms, Mosquito, Pgm_Chemicals, Sarasota, Services, Tour
An image of fluorescent lichen under a blacklight, growing on a cabbage palm tree in the dark of night.

ex•plore: Turn off the Lights for Nature at Night

by Jackie Lebouitz and Zahir Ringgold Cordes
December 8, 2025

Have you ever wanted to experience one of our Sarasota County parks after dark? Consider attending one of our upcoming Nature at Night programs, part of the ex•plore series. What can you expect to see and do at Nature at Night? Keep reading ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Events, Forests, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Ecology, Explore, Hiking, Nature, Nature At Night, Pgm_Chemicals, Pgm_EcoNR, Urban Wildlife, Wildlife, Wildlife And Ecology
a group of young adults sits at a table in a restaurant/bar, with "brewing ideas" pint glasses, sharing conversation. [credit: unsplash.com]

Brewing Ideas with UF/IFAS: One Round Down, Another On Tap

by Randy Penn
November 21, 2025

Cheers to "Brewing Ideas with UF/IFAS"! We launched this innovative series last month, to bring together community members and local experts for an evening of open discussion on relevant environmental solutions. The goals were simple: make ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Community Education, Conservation, Dolphin, Florida Sea Grant, Living Shoreline, Local Issues, Marine Mammal, Pgm_Marine, Pgm_Waste

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