![Embrace the Gulf 2020 – the sponges](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/04/7516214162_d9591d5e67_n-FL-Sea-Grant-.jpg)
Embrace the Gulf 2020 – the sponges
We began this series on the Gulf talking about the Gulf itself. We then moved to the big, more familiar – maybe more interesting animals, the vertebrates – birds, fish, etc. In this edition we shift to the invertebrates – the “spineless” animals of the Gulf of...
![Getting Rid of Chinese Tallow Trees](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/03/chinese-tallow-leaves-1080x675.jpg)
Getting Rid of Chinese Tallow Trees
Chinese Tallow, also known as the Popcorn Tree, was introduced in the US over 200 years ago. Ben Franklin sent seeds over in 1772. Although Franklin was blamed for the invasion in the U.S. Gulf Coast, scientists performed genetic testing and have concluded that the...
![Wildlife Food Plots: Chufa for Wild Turkeys](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/03/Chufa-turkeys-1.jpg)
Wildlife Food Plots: Chufa for Wild Turkeys
Wildlife management continues to be an area of growing interest on our local farms and ranches and has the potential to generate significant additional income to the farm enterprise. It is also an opportunity to practice good stewardship of the natural resources that...
![Warm Weather Brings People Out, and Mosquitoes Too](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/03/Aedes-Aegypti_2020-James-Gathany-CDC.jpg)
Warm Weather Brings People Out, and Mosquitoes Too
Article By: Whitney Cherry 4-H Agent Calhoun County I know COVID-19 has been driving public and private discussion as of late. But, we have to stay vigilant in working against all public health threats. One of those threats we typically start talking about this...
2020 Year of the Turtle – the musk turtles
As with mud turtles, full grown musk turtles are no bigger than your hand. They differ from mud turtles in that they have a single hinge on their plastron and the scutes just above that hinge are rectangular instead of triangular. Like mud turtles, they are very...
![Green Infrastructure can Reduce Flooding and Improve Water Quality in the Florida Panhandle](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/03/Matt-Deitch-GIS-3-US-Air-Force.jpg)
Green Infrastructure can Reduce Flooding and Improve Water Quality in the Florida Panhandle
Flooding and poor water quality are common issues of concern in the Florida Panhandle. Our frequent heavy rains cause water to quickly run off rooftop, parking lot, and driveway surfaces; this runoff water carries with it the chemicals deposited on land surfaces...
![Embrace the Gulf 2020 – marine mammals](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/03/Dolphin-NOAA--1080x675.jpg)
Embrace the Gulf 2020 – marine mammals
When it comes to charismatic wildlife, there are few that are more than marine mammals. Everyone loves whales and dolphins. Even today, as many years as I have been working on the water, my colleagues and myself still get excited when we see dolphins. Seeing a...
![2020 Year of the Turtle – mud turtles](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/03/Eastern-Mud-Turtle-Charles-Bartlett-.jpg)
2020 Year of the Turtle – mud turtles
This is a new one for many of you… mud turtles. Most have never heard of them. They are very small turtles with oval shaped, domed shells that have hinges similar to box turtles. There are actually two genera within this family of small turtles, the mud turtles...
![Seagrass… It’s Alive!](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2015/03/Prop-scar.jpg)
Seagrass… It’s Alive!
What’s the big deal about seagrasses? Seagrass meadows are made up of plants that live under water in our local estuaries. Just like the grass and plants in our yards where many types of insects, worms and small animals live, seagrass meadows provide habitat for...
![New Spotted Seatrout Rules & 2020 Gulf Red Snapper Season Dates](https://nwdistrict.ifas.ufl.edu/nat/files/2020/02/trout-1080x675.jpg)
New Spotted Seatrout Rules & 2020 Gulf Red Snapper Season Dates
Recently FWC (Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission) announced rule changes relating to spotted seatrout. The text was taken directly from FWC press releases; details not pertinent to NW Florida were removed. Several rule changes for spotted seatrout...