My background and Purpose
My name is Johanna Walker. I am a 4th year student at the University of Florida (UF), pursuing a B.S. in environmental science. Although I grew up in Michigan it was my good fortune to have been able to experience other environments and cultures at an early age. I lived in the…
The heat is on and the cold-blooded reptiles we love to hate are on the move through our landscapes. Scorned throughout history, snakes in Florida are most active through the warm seasons and are present throughout the state.
The reason they are prevalent is because their food sources are prevalent. Snakes eat insects, lizards, frogs,…
Norms beat knowledge when it comes to irrigating homeowners’ lawns, new University of Florida research shows.
For example, science tells us that if you replace at least one-third of the irrigated area of your yard or landscape with non-irrigated beds, you could save an average of 50,000 gallons of water per year.
But homeowners take…
Typically, this time of year many homeowners are tackling a variety of weeds in their landscapes. One of those weeds may very well be the invasive and aggressive weed known as Doveweed (Murdannia nudifflora). Doveweed emerges when average temperatures reach 65-70 degrees daily and germination continues into late fall.
Doveweed is easily mistaken as St.…
Blueberries were once known as star berries because of the pointy flower calyxes on top of the berries. Blueberries have grown in North America for thousands of years. Native Americans dried the berries in the sun and crushed them into a powder to be used as a rub on meats. Whole berries were added to…
Growing up, every July my family would take a long road trip to visit family. One activity we always did together was go blueberry picking with my grandpa at a U-pick farm a short drive from his house. Everyone would fill a bucket—though we always joked we ate more than ended up in the buckets—then…
Longer and warmer days are here, it must be summer! There is so much to love about this season. Schools are out, the ocean is warm, and the roads are slightly less congested. If you’re feeling stuck on ideas for things to do this summer, try some of the following sustainable options. It’s important to…
It’s recommended that half our plates are fruits and vegetables and to include 2-3 different colors of produce each day to soak up a variety of health benefits. To add a little flavor, we may crack open a bottle of our favorite dressing and pour it on well past the serving size. Suddenly our salad…
Learn how to build a mini bamboo building with these step by step instructions.
Have fun building your mini bamboo model!
by Tia Silvasy
Source: UF/IFAS Pest Alert
A mass planting of tropical sage – eye appeal in the landscape
Some native plants do not have the “pizazz” that many of our more exotic plants possess. However, one native that does give a show is the tropical sage. Also called wild sage, fireweed, scarlet salvia, or scarlet sage, this relatively small, Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ plant,…