Author Archives

    I attended a recent field trip led by expert naturalist Jean Evoy to the Babcock Webb Wildlife Management Area (  https://myfwc.com/recreation/lead/babcockwebb/ ).  It was organized by the Peace River Butterfly Society (President Steve Scott, sfscott2011@hotmail.com ).  This enormous (65,770 acres) preserve in […]

      Of all the creatures in natures’ menagerie, spiders and their relatives probably evoke more fear and loathing than any others, even including snakes. There is just something about all those legs and the fear related to the […]

        After prolonged periods of red tide in the Gulf and blue green bacteria and green slime in bays and creeks, people are wondering what they can do to solve these problems. Although one might think that […]

In late August in Florida, humans begin to wilt under the prolonged heat, humidity and rainfall and start thinking about the upcoming Fall season. But this is a time of intense animal and plant activity and is a prime time […]

  To the uninitiated, summer in Florida might be perceived as just a hot sweaty dash from one air conditioned space to another.  This is an unfortunate misunderstanding of the ability of the human body to adapt to the summer […]

One of the most important but least appreciated aspects of a good three dimensional yard wildlife habitat is the ground surface.  Most people would consider this the proper place for grass or to be swept clean of debris.  However to […]

Here are some examples of toxic moths and butterflies that birds in my Florida yard must deal with. The polka dot moth or oleander moth feeds as a larva on exotic oleanders and picks up toxins which are passed on […]

We are very fortunate in Charlotte County FL to have a natural tidal wetland (Lemon Lake).  It can be a bonanza for birds during times when the water level has declined (due to low rainfall,  elevated evaporation, and less tidal […]

    Floridians could learn a lot from a visit to Assateague Island. This barrier island is a 37 mile long sliver of sand along the Virginia portion of the Delmarva Peninsula. It has wide beaches that much of the […]

  One of my favorite local coastal natural areas is one that you may never have heard about, Manasota Scrub Preserve: https://www.scgov.net/Home/ShowDocument?id=30028   The trails west of Bridge St are off limits to dogs and you will encounter very few people, which […]

  Parks are developed for many purposes, ranging from entirely human recreation to nature preservation with considerable variation between these two extremes.  Sometimes the preservation of green space can have significant benefits both for the human need for communing with […]

    One of my favorite natural areas in the SW Florida region is Myakka State Forest since it is almost 8600 acres of relatively undisturbed habitats. In the future it is likely to become the “Central Park” of this […]

  It may be common to think that interesting natural sights are only to be found over the next hill or in some exotic place. But more often than not if you are alert to nature’s sights and sounds, you […]

  While it is generally still winter-like up north in February, things are quite different in SW Florida when signs of spring occur in February. The seasons are not so much set by astronomical events as they are by biological […]

– I regularly check the local beaches on Manasota Key to look at the birds to see what interesting species might be present. Strangely enough the public beaches often have considerable numbers of resting gulls and terns; my theory is […]

  As I was heading home after my three mile morning walk I stopped by Englewood Beach to see what birds might be there. To my complete shock and surprise there were NO BIRDS on the beach except one. Since […]

When a housing development is created, it is rarely good news for wildlife. But something amazing has happened on eastern Cape Haze where one good wildlife habitat has been substituted for another as the land was cleared. The areas sometimes […]

      Something amazing is happening in Rotonda West. A former golf course is being changed into Broadmoor Park. One of the simple but profound changes that is occurring to transform this formerly bleak mowed landscape into a natural […]