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As autumn unfolds its vibrant tapestry of colors, one striking native shrub stands out, adding brilliant royal purple into the landscape as it feeds migratory birds. Meet the American beautyberry (Callicarpa americana), a deciduous shrub native to the southeastern United States, celebrated for its stunning berries and the myriad benefits it bestows upon both wildlife…

Recap of December 2023 First Friday with Florida First Detector In this month’s webinar, we focused on Hymenoptera, an order of insects that includes wasps, bees, ants, hornets and more. Hymenoptera is an extremely diverse order of insects. Some feed on plants and others are predatory or parasitic. Many Hymenoptera are beneficial insects and provide…

      The tiny rosette of parrot pitcher plants is visible only by kneeling close to the ground and moving short grasses and groundcovers away! Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension       A colorful cluster of delicate parrot pitcher plants. Photo credit: Carrie Stevenson, UF IFAS Extension To the untrained eye, one might…

Amaryllis for the Holidays and Beyond     It’s about time to start decking those halls! I love using natural materials and plants as holiday décor, and one plant known for merry and bright is the amaryllis. The amaryllis we buy for our homes and landscapes are hybrids and the genus name is  Hippeastrum. …

Amaryllis for the Holidays and Beyond     It’s about time to start decking those halls! I love using natural materials and plants as holiday décor, and one plant known for merry and bright is the amaryllis. The amaryllis we buy for our homes and landscapes are hybrids and the genus name is  Hippeastrum. …

Death by water intake is a real thing. There are documented cases where people have died from drinking too much water, which is called water intoxication, either because of coercion or drug-induced excess thirst. Mama always said that too much of anything, even something good, is bad. And she was right. Drinking too much water…

If you live in Florida, chances are you have heard or read about “harmful algal blooms” commonly referred to as HABs. We have received many requests for an episode on this topic, so…here it is! What are algae? What is a HAB? Are all algae bad? Learn this and more in this “Naturally Florida” podcast…

Death by water intake is a real thing. There are documented cases where people have died from drinking too much water, which is called water intoxication, either because of coercion or drug-induced excess thirst. Mama always said that too much of anything, even something good, is bad. And she was right. Drinking too much water…

Most holiday celebrations are centered around food and even though that is something that brings us all together we need to remember our basic nutrition knowledge when enjoying ourselves. This week we will talk about portion sizes. A portion size is the amount of food you choose to eat that could be more or less…