Walk into any retailer and the evidence is in plain sight. Christmas is a little over three weeks away. Decorations, gifts, cards, and wrapping paper are prominently displayed for the buyer’s convenience, along with red and green pillar candles wafting holiday fragrances. In the wild, shorter days and lower temperatures in north Florida are the…Read more
From a bird’s perspective, 2021 has been a pretty good year so far. There was enough rain for plants to thrive and provide ample sources of food for the plethora of avian species residing or visiting locally. The lush bounty of greenery produced seeds and fruit for the birds which require those commodities in…Read more
For those with any level of visual acuity, November is the beginning of an overwhelmingly colorful season. Holiday lights, decorations and merchandising efforts all vie to use the most conspicuous and unavoidable selections of shades, many of which cannot be found in nature. Fortunately, panhandle Florida has many wondrous colors in the leaves of plants…Read more
The month of November has brought on decidedly cooler temperatures. Admittedly, these recent thermometer readings are not at the subfreezing point of latitudes further north, but there is enough of a drop to cause a change in wardrobe. Cutoffs, tee shirts and flipflops are being replaced by heavier clothes and shoes. Even visitors from up…Read more
The downward trend of the temperature and the ever-shortening days continue the inevitable progression into the holiday season. Invitations to parties and dinners are returning this year, and campaigns to help the less fortunate are already being sent to prosperous recipients by every communication means known to humanity. Panhandle Florida’s parks, businesses and places of…Read more
People who collect items do so for a variety of reasons. Sometimes the purpose is an unlimited curiosity about the subject which is collected. Stamp and coin collectors often fall into this category. Others collect to satisfy an insatiable want to physically possess the subject of their obsession. In extreme cases this is labeled hoarding…Read more
Exotic invasive species are a continuing problem for panhandle Florida and many other places in the country. The non-natives are brought into an ideal environment where they can grow and proliferate with unrestrained abound. The cost of their control can be measured in millions of dollars annually and in countless numbers of native species pushed…Read more
Sometimes camouflage is the best option for making inroads toward one’s objective. This ruse can be quite effective for going unnoticed, until an event exposes the truth of the situation. Such has been the case with many defoliated or partially defoliated plants and trees as the autumn progresses. Any resident of north Florida may stare…Read more
The moderating temperatures and periods of reduced (relatively speaking) humidity are making outdoor activities far more attractive for a majority of people. Whether walking a nature trail or pulling weeds in the garden, the thermometer reading encourages getting outside. Sometimes residents and visitors are concerned about a surprise encounter with one of the 45 species…Read more
With north Florida’s warm autumn weather, there are still many active plants in the environment. Seed distribution is starting in the wild places and in manicured landscapes area wide. One such colonizer, Andropogon virginicus, is a species of weedy grass known as broomsedge. Not a true sedge which has a triangle shaped stem, it is…Read more
