One of the most visible signs of our local “Southern Ecology” is Spanish moss. It has been eulogized in poetry, novels and song for centuries. It is closely associated with the mental images of the South. Spanish Moss (Tillandsia usneoides) is an epiphytic, flowering plant in the Bromeliaceae family. Epiphytes typically grow by attaching to…Read more
“A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds,” wrote 19th century philosopher and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson. What he was saying, in a highbrow and antiquated way, was not to do the same thing repeatedly without thought. Luckily, the local plants do not concern themselves with consistency. Most are currently recovering from a dry…Read more
With the return of consistent, if not excessive, rain after a dry patch during May and the first half of June, lawns are actively growing in Florida’s panhandle. This results in some positive aspects and some negative. The major positive feature is a lush, green lawn. No matter the turf species, there is a unique…Read more
Exceptionally few entertainers have been able to transition across the generations and still amuse a wide variety of audiences. The theatrical acts which held the attention of crowds in 1936 usually bore theater goers of 2021, but there are a few exceptions. W.C. Fields still has a strong fan base thanks, in part, to the…Read more
The winter of 2020/21 was the one for which most people had been wishing. The refrain “I want a cold winter to kill all the bugs,” had been a frequently express preference during the hot humid days of August and September 2020. Still, it was nowhere near cold enough to deplete panhandle Florida’s insect population…Read more
Ask any panhandle horse owner and they will say their horse has a sweet tooth. In addition to sugar cubes there are apples, pears and many other fruits with a high sugar content which are attractive to equines everywhere. Feed stores even offer a sweet feed for horses. The rolled and cut grains are sprayed…Read more
Summer nights in the panhandle are unique for their frenetic activity and riotous sounds. In contrast to local February evenings with their silence broken by the occasional barred owl, this summer (technically late spring) month is nearing the pinnacle of activity for bugs, birds and animals of all kinds. Anyone taking an early evening walk…Read more
Temperatures are on the rise and school will be out in a few weeks. While the official start of summer 2021 is still weeks away, that summer feeling is growing in every corner of panhandle Florida. For both the young and the young at heart, one of the traditional pastimes is to spend idle hours…Read more
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
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
