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Meet Suzy Nolan: A Florida Master Naturalist Program Success Story

by Katherine Clements
March 21, 2025

Blog co-authored by Mary Ellen Boelhower, Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) graduate Meet Suzy Nolan, Volunteer Extraordinaire Indianapolis native Suzy Nolan grew up hiking and observing nature, but it wasn’t until the travel ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Conservation, Natural Resources, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Conservation, Course, Ecology, Florida Master Naturalist Program, FMNP, Fmnp-in-srq, Learn, Nature, Pgm_EcoNR, Wildlife
Fallen oak leaves

Support Your Local Bugs: Leave the Leaves (Get a FREE Bumper Sticker!)

by Jackie Lebouitz
March 19, 2025

You may have heard the phrase "leave the leaves" before. It was first coined by the National Wildlife Federation, then popularized by the Xerces Society. After that, many other groups followed suit. Before we dive into what that phrase means, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Arthropod, Bug, Drop, Entomology, Insect, Invertebrate, Leaf, Leave The Leaves, Leaves, Mulch, Pgm_Chemicals
Round springtail navigates through the sandy soil in a landscape

Spring Forward – Like a Springtail!

by Jackie Lebouitz
March 14, 2025

All across the state, many disgruntled denizens adjusted their clocks this past Sunday, March 9, to accommodate daylight savings time. While this lets us have longer days, a historically helpful tool for farming...it can be a bit disruptive ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Collembola, Entomology, Garden, Insect, Pgm_Chemicals, Soil, Spring, Springtail
Mangrove background, Bahama Swampbush and native Swampbush in foreground with an assortment of hummingbirds found in Florida.

Florida’s Best Hummingbird Plant? Native Endangered Swampbush!

by Forest Hecker
February 10, 2025

A year ago, I was attending the Chocolate Festival at Fairchild Tropical Botanic Garden. Overwhelmed by the crowd, I took a short walk into the "lowlands" of the garden—an area I rarely explore unless searching for the resident crocodile. But ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: FFL, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Garden, Horticulture, Landscape, Landscaping, Nature, Pgm_HortRes, Wildlife

Reading the Leaves: What Your Landscape Is Telling You

by Ashley Ellis and Forest HeckerAshley Ellis, Residential Horticulture Agent and Master Gardener Volunteer Coordinator in Sarasota County.
January 31, 2025

Reading the Leaves: What Your Landscape Is Telling You As a University of Florida’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) horticulture agent based in Southwest Florida, I often encounter homeowners, Master Gardener Volunteers, ... READ MORE

Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Florida Friendly, Master Gardener Volunteer, Native Plants, Pgm_HortRes
An image of a group of several people of all ages standing together and smiling in two rows.

FMNP in Sarasota: Uplands Course Survives Hurricane Milton!

by Zahir Ringgold Cordes
January 3, 2025

What is the Florida Master Naturalist Program? The Florida Master Naturalist Program (FMNP) is an adult education curriculum that promotes awareness and understanding of Florida’s natural world for citizens, teachers, tour guides, and volunteers. ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, Professional Development, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Work & Life
Tags: Conservation, Course, Ecology, Environment, Florida Master Naturalist Program, FMNP, Fmnp-in-srq, Learn, Nature, Pgm_EcoNR
Photos of roses

Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer: Rooted in Passion, Blooming in Service

by Ashley Ellis
December 30, 2024

Meet a Master Gardener Welcome to our "Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer" blog series, where we spotlight the dedicated individuals who make a significant impact in our community through their passion for horticulture and education. In this ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: Florida Friendly, Master Gardener Volunteer, Pgm_HortRes
Scorpion tail and books

Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer: Sarasota County Reading Gardens

by Ashley Ellis
December 20, 2024

Meet a Master Gardener Welcome to our “Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer” blog series, where we spotlight the dedicated individuals who make a significant impact in our community through their passion for horticulture and education. ... READ MORE

Category: Community Volunteers, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Florida Friendly, Master Gardener Volunteers, Pgm_HortRes
Azaleas

Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer: Cultivating Gratitude Through Service

by Ashley Ellis
November 27, 2024

Meet a Master Gardener Welcome to our "Meet a Master Gardener Volunteer" blog series, where we spotlight the dedicated individuals who make a significant impact in our community through their passion for horticulture and education. As ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Community Volunteers, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS Extension, Work & Life
Tags: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Master Gardener Volunteers, Pgm_HortRes

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