Walking through native Florida forests can feel a lot like a trip to Jurassic Park, due to the proliferation of ferns and cycads in Florida’s natural landscape. These plants have been around since the time of the dinosaurs and, like the American Alligator, have survived the dynamic changes of earth and man ever since. One of [...]
Friendship TrailBridge was opened in 1999 after efforts by a group of regular citizens called “Save the Gandy” were successful. Ten years later, the structure has been deemed unsafe, closed to the public, and is at another crossroads. Here are the options: A full repair of the entire bridge, in order to reopen it to recreational use, [...]
Hillsborough County will help your neighborhood take care of a local pond - for FREE!
The Courtney Campbell Causeway linking Tampa and Clearwater recently reached 75 years of age, and local history buffs celebrated the birthday, and put up a new historical marker. Those of you who read the stories will know that Ben T. Davis built the thing, but his name has since been relegated to an undesirable excuse of [...]
It’s certainly not every city that can boast a wildflower named for it, but Tampa has one. The Tampa Mock Vervain is an endangered native wildflower, endemic to just a few coastal counties in central Florida. This low-growing perennial has small purple flowers beloved by butterflies, and does well in heat and drought conditions. How does [...]
Craig Pittman notes that Tampa Bay Water has had a couple of problems with their big-ticket items: Over the past decade, Tampa Bay Water has built three big, expensive facilities to slake the thirst of a growing region — only to see all three run into problems: It’s desalination plant was years late and millions over budget. [...]
Just this week, I saw a TV commercial for Sounds of Beer.com. There was lots of burping and belching, and a plea for you to add your “voice” to the growing stack of sounds. My inner 15-year-old giggled, I made a mental note to give it a look sometime, and I went on with my [...]
Governor Charlie Crist was talking tough, and not mincing words. “It’s every single Floridian taking on that personal responsibility to be prepared, to be ready for another hurricane season.” Crist was in front of all the cameras when he showed up at The Home Depot to give us a stern lecture on the first day of hurricane [...]
Any gardener knows the value of mulch in a garden. Mulch helps retain valuable moisture in the soil and prevents weed growth, among other benefits. New gardeners might be amazed at the variety of mulch types available, and in my next post, I’ll take a look at some of the best options for a Florida-Friendly [...]
