They just appear, almost magically, creating a landscape come alive with bouncing bits and pieces. Looking like animated leaf litter and forest floor detritus, the irregular staccato pulse of the earth-toned hopping causes pause to evaluate. Much like Moses calling down God’s second pestilence on Pharaoh, panhandle Florida is experiencing its own latter-day plague-of-toads. To…Read more
The first indication of a problem is the mysterious white blob about the diameter of a quarter in the turfgrass or on a weed. The frothy material hides a potential menace to the funds and hours of labor committed to the groomed and manicured lawn. This globule is usually the first sign a spittlebug is…Read more
As spring hurtles towards summer, the palette of colors in natural areas changes by the week. Flowering trees, shrubs and wildflowers provide a Technicolor display for anyone willing to spend the time to take it in. The hues cover the spectrum and some blooms come with pleasant perfumes to offer the viewer a distraction from…Read more
Weeds are making appearances all across panhandle Florida with fresh supple leaves and, in many cases, blooms and developing fruit or seeds of some sort. While these unplanned plants come in all sizes and shapes, it is the large ones that are frequently noticed first. One of these is the common pokeweed (Phytolacca americana), a…Read more
Vegetable gardening has many highly desirable benefits. These range from it being a good source of exercise, an opportunity to produce fresh specialty produce which may be hard to find in retail establishments, and being able to assure it is produced in a specific way. In many cases it is difficult, and sometimes tedious, to…Read more
Being social has many positive aspects. For highly social creatures, being alone is not an acceptable state of existence. There is always at least one other individual present with which to interact. There is work, play, eating and many other activities to share. Social does not mean always coexisting on a friendly basis. In some…Read more
Late spring’s warm nights in panhandle Florida are raucous and noisy, especially in the untamed, forested expanses. The decibel level reaches well above 100 as the non-human residents engage in conversations and social activity at an ear-splitting volume. Frogs of all sizes and octaves, buzzing locusts, and other insects loudly stake out their territory, seek…Read more
As stated in an earlier column, pruning plants in the home landscape depends on the species of plant, not the season of the year. Some shrubs and trees start the spring with the growth of new branches which will produce blooms in late spring or summer. Some flowering shrubs bloom only on new wood which…Read more
When a gardener is anxious to get started in the spring garden, a task commonly undertaken is pruning. Most trees and shrubs benefit from annual pruning because pruning has a major influence on a shrub’s flowering habit, shape, size, and pest problems. A regular pruning schedule protects plants, people, and property from injury, pests and…Read more
The arrival of 90 degrees plus temperature readings will have many residents slowing their pace for the explicit purpose of not overheating. The soon to come summer shuffle, along with a good hat and plenty of water, will partially mitigate the solar excesses. One native creature is well adapted to these weather extremes by the…Read more
