The blooms and leaves have confirmed the year’s progress towards the summer. The rising temperatures and lengthening days have been a boon to the birds and animals, too. The return of actively growing and tender foliage is supporting the expanding bug population. Whether considered benign or malevolent, the terrestrial arthropods are progressing across the land…Read more
Green Hunting in Florida: Green Herons
Going “green” is all the rage these days. Businesses, politicians, public figures and more are promoting their commitment to ecological sustainability and environmental quality. It is curious that in times past the color green had other connotations, not always positive. The green-eyed monster of envy and having a green complexion because of digestive distress are…Read more
The Fairy Rings of Florida
Watering the lawn has not been on anyone’s list lately. The ample, if not excessive, rain has placed a temporary hold on this necessary task to maintain most home lawns and landscapes. It is true the spring weeds are enjoying the liquid bounty supplied from above. Flowerbeds and gardens have new residents peeking through the…Read more
Florida’s Red Fox: Losing Fur to Gain Comfort in the Heat
Being on the doorstep of May, it is a reasonable assumption that cold weather is out of the forecast at least until late October. The higher temperatures bode well for the elimination of heavier garments which retain a comfortable level of body heat during cooler days and nights. Coats, wool scarves and flannel shirts are…Read more
Heritage Park and Cultural Center: Preserving the Past for the Future
Driving into Fort Walton Beach, it is hard to imagine the area devoid of the infrastructure and buildings which make up the expanding metroplex of coastal Florida. Restaurants, marinas, tee shirt shops and other residue of the 20th and 21st century occupation by people who came to the area for a variety of reasons. Prior…Read more
Mysterious Disturbances in the Yard
Spring has sprung in the panhandle, and that fact is reflected in the activity of the local flora and fauna. As expected, plants are sprouting leaves and blooming, and insect activity is accelerating. Curiously, other cryptic manifestations indicate the return of warmer weather. Holes, sometimes the size of small craters, inexplicably appear in the lawn…Read more
An Idea for the Garden: Flowering Bulbs
The early weeks of spring have been filled with nature’s heralds in north Florida as they announce the return of warmer weather in a nearly infinite variety of ways. Butterflies have returned, frogs and toads harmonize at night, and leaves have emerged on deciduous plants and trees, obscuring the surrounding terrain’s details. Many native annuals…Read more
Florida’s Predictive Pecans
Folk wisdom can, in fact, be amazingly accurate. Not because of some ancient or secret knowledge, but because it is attributable to generations of observations which have been confirmed time and again over the centuries. Many of these pre-social media urban legends involve weather and season changes. In pre-industrial days these environmental factors influenced food…Read more
Dogfennel: A Wasp Moth’s Best Friend
Dogs are man’s best friend, according to Ogden Nash. The mid-20th century poet and humorist focused one of his many amusing rhymes on the numerous positive attributes of contemporary canine companions. So it is curious a noxious native weed, dogfennel, is identified with this faithful friend. Dogfennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) is not in the same plant…Read more
U.S. Highway 319: New Construction Uncovering the Past
For travelers in the Tallahassee area who are seeking a trip to the gulf coast, U.S. Highway 319 has long been a convenient choice. Heading due south through Crawfordville, it connects with U.S. Highway 98 which meanders close to the coast, east and west. Initially a two lane road south of the capitol city, it…Read more