Pollinators are the unsung heroes of Florida’s ecosystems, supporting the reproduction of our flowering plants in urban, suburban and natural areas. Pollinator populations are declining, and organizations are urging people to take action to support pollinators in their areas of influence. There is a lot of buzz around the topics of pollinators these days, but who are they? What are they doing? Where do they go? Find out this and more in today’s episode.

Learn More:

• Insect Pollinators - https://www.fnps.org/plants/pollinators

• Know your native pollinators - https://www.flawildflowers.org/pollinators/

• Pollinator Plants: Florida - https://xerces.org/sites/default/files/2018-05/17-046_03_XercesSoc_Pollinator-Plants_Florida_web-3page.pdf

• Creating a Native Wildflower Garden in Your Central Florida Yard - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/creating-a-native-wildflower-garden-in-your-central/id1724213516?i=1000648747914

How You Can Help:

• Support pollinators in your yard by spreading wildflower seeds and planting a variety of native plants - https://sfyl.ifas.ufl.edu/media/sfylifasufledu/osceola/documents/agriculture/Pollinator-Plants-for-Osceola-County-Urban-Landscapes.pdf

• Consider leaving a patch of bare, open ground or install a bee house/hotel for nesting - https://content.ces.ncsu.edu/how-to-manage-a-successful-bee-hotel/what-is-a-bee-hotel

• Create a no-mow area in your yard and leave area unmown November-May - https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/orangeco/2022/07/26/no-mow-lawns-in-florida/

• Use pesticides as a last resort, learn integrated pest management - https://gardeningsolutions.ifas.ufl.edu/care/pests-and-diseases/pests/management/integrated-pest-management/

Sources for this Episode:

• Attracting Bees and Other Beneficial Insects with Florida’s Native Wildflowers -https://www.flawildflowers.org/attracting-bees/

• The Importance of Pollinators - https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators

• Pollinator Syndromes - https://www.pollinator.org/pollinator.org/assets/generalFiles/Pollinator_Syndromes.pdf

If the title of this episode sounds familiar, you must be a Creedance Clearwater Revival fan like Shannon is!

Well, CCR might have actually been singing about seeing the rain but on today's episode of Naturally Florida, we're talking about smelling the rain. Rather, more accurately, we're talking about the smell before the rain, also known as Petrichor.

Learn more:

• https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/escambiaco/2023/08/02/weekly
• https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/infographics/petrichor-the-smell-of-rain.pdf

Sources:

• https://news.mit.edu/2015/rainfall-can-release-aerosols-0114

Saw palmetto (Serenoa repens) is an iconic plant of Florida, often dominating the understory of pine flatwoods habitats. Not only is saw palmetto endemic to Florida and the southeastern U.S., but it has also been referred to as a keystone species! A plant as a keystone species? YES!

Keystone Species - a species on which other species in an ecosystem largely depend, such that if it were removed the ecosystem would change drastically.

For most of the year, saw palmetto fronds stand proud and upright showcasing their unique fan-shaped leaves with long, stiff, pointed leaflets and spikey leaf stems. They reflect the sun’s rays with their waxy coated, muted green and sometimes yellow leaves. From far away, saw palmetto may seem to serve little benefit to the environment other than taking up a lot of space. Upon closer inspection, saw palmetto create their own little world for numerous wildlife species big and small.

Learn More: 

• Parsing Through the Palmettos (blog by Lara): https://blogs.ifas.ufl.edu/pinellasco/2018/02/13/palmettos/

• Fire Effects Information System – Species: Serenoa repens https://www.fs.usda.gov/database/feis/plants/shrub/serrep/all.html

• The Diversity of Insects Visiting Flowers of Saw Palmetto (Arecaceae): https://www.jstor.org/stable/23268495

How You Can Help: 

• Protect saw palmetto where you can (your yard, speak up if plans to remove at local park/neighborhood)

• Report poachers by calling your local non-emergency number or the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Wildlife Alert Hotline

• Plant saw palmetto where you can. You can find a native plant nursery near you: https://www.fann.org/

• Support prescribed burning financially or through letters of support to your elected officials

Sources for this Episode: 

• The Diversity of Insects Visiting Flowers of Saw Palmetto (Arecaceae): https://www.jstor.org/stable/23268495

• Pollination Biology of Saw Palmetto (Serenoa repens) in Southwestern Florida: https://palms.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/05/vol47n2p95-103.pdf

• The Quarterly Journal of the Florida Native Plant Society: Palmetto. The Palmetto Issues, Volume 33: Number 3 > 2016: https://www.fnps.org/assets/pdf/palmetto_issues/Palmetto_33-3.pdf

The marsh rabbit is a medium-sized rabbit with short, rounded ears, and small feet. It is similar in appearance to the more familiar eastern cottontail rabbit but without the white color of their tail. The marsh rabbit is found in the southeastern United States from southeast Virginia (in the Dismal Swamp), along the east coast to eastern Alabama, and the Florida peninsula and the islands along the coast of Florida. There is a subspecies of the marsh rabbit, which is endangered and only found in (endemic to) the lower Florida Keys. Marsh rabbits live near freshwater and brackish marshes and wet prairies and can even be found in flooded agricultural fields. The main threat to marsh rabbits is habitat loss from human development and fragmentation. Their population also declines due to hurricanes and coastal flooding. This is especially true for the Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit. The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit population has been declining since at least the 1960s because of the loss and degradation of suitable habitats because of human development. The Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit was once common throughout the Lower Florida Keys (the Lower Florida Keys begins at Big Pine Key and ends at the island of Key West) but is now only found on 13 islands. Sea level rise has been projected to seriously threaten the population and its ability to survive on these islands. The threat of sea level rise has grown because these coastal ecosystems cannot migrate inland due to human development and infrastructure, often called coastal squeeze. Learn More: 

• Lower Keys Rabbit: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/lower-keys-rabbit/

• Lower Keys Marsh Rabbit: https://www.fws.gov/species/lower-keys-marsh-rabbit-sylvilagus-palustris-hefneri

• Marsh Rabbit: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/marsh-rabbit/

• This or That? Eastern Cottontail or Marsh Rabbit: https://youtu.be/maFhVuEC6jU

How You Can Help: 

• Get involved with your local city or county leaders and elected officials. Advocate for low impact development, green infrastructure and living shorelines where possible.

• Keep your cat indoors and do not support feeding of feral cat populations.

• Practice sustainable tourism when visiting the Florida Keys or anywhere in Florida. Check out Car Free Key West (https://www.carfreekeywest.com/), Florida Green Lodging (https://floridadep.gov/osi/green-lodging), and the Florida Friendly Fishing Guide Certification Program (https://www.flseagrant.org/fisheries/florida-friendly-fishing-guide-certification-program/)

Sources for this Episode: 

• Impacts of a half century of sea-level rise and development on an endangered mammal: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/gcb.12024

• Population Estimation and Monitoring of an Endangered Lagomorph: https://www.jstor.org/stable/41418016

• Lower Keys Rabbit: https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/mammals/land/lower-keys-rabbit/

In this episode, we explore the mosquitoes of Florida, covering everything from mosquito biology, types of mosquitoes, mosquito surveillance and control, and ways you can yourself from these important, but sometimes pesky insects.

Learn More:

• UF/IFAS Document about mosquito repellents (Table of effectiveness at end): https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN419
• Mosquitoes & Their Control: Integrated Pest Management for Mosquito Reduction Around Homes and Neighborhoods - https://www.floridahealth.gov/%5C/diseases-and-conditions/mosquito-borne-diseases/_documents/fl-resident-guide-to-mosquito-control-ifas.pdf
• Mosquito Control Programs - Mosquito Control Programs / Mosquito Control / Business Services / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)
• Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance - Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance | Florida Department of Health (floridahealth.gov)

How You Can Help:

• Follow the 3-D’s: Dump standing water; Dress in loose, light-colored, long sleeves and pants; Defend using a CED recommended repellent.
• Reach out to your local Mosquito Control District if you’re still having issues with mosquitoes despite efforts to control them around your home: Mosquito Control Programs / Mosquito Control / Business Services / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)
• Share this episode or information from this episode with family, friends and colleagues.

Sources for this Episode:

• Mosquitoes - https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/mosquitoes
• FDACS Public Health Applicator’s Manual -https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/109002/file/Public-Health-Manual-2023.pdf
• Division of Vector-Borne Diseases - https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/index.html

Special thanks to Alissa Berro, Section Manager, Public Works, Pinellas County for assistance in the script writing of this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations

In this episode, we explore the mosquitoes of Florida, covering everything from mosquito biology, types of mosquitoes, mosquito surveillance and control, and ways you can yourself from these important, but sometimes pesky insects.

Learn More:

• UF/IFAS Document about mosquito repellents (Table of effectiveness at end): https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/IN419
• Mosquitoes & Their Control: Integrated Pest Management for Mosquito Reduction Around Homes and Neighborhoods - https://www.floridahealth.gov/%5C/diseases-and-conditions/mosquito-borne-diseases/_documents/fl-resident-guide-to-mosquito-control-ifas.pdf
• Mosquito Control Programs - Mosquito Control Programs / Mosquito Control / Business Services / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)
• Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance - Mosquito-Borne Disease Surveillance | Florida Department of Health (floridahealth.gov)

How You Can Help:

• Follow the 3-D’s: Dump standing water; Dress in loose, light-colored, long sleeves and pants; Defend using a CED recommended repellent.
• Reach out to your local Mosquito Control District if you’re still having issues with mosquitoes despite efforts to control them around your home: Mosquito Control Programs / Mosquito Control / Business Services / Home - Florida Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (fdacs.gov)
• Share this episode or information from this episode with family, friends and colleagues.

Sources for this Episode:

• Mosquitoes - https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/topics/mosquitoes
• FDACS Public Health Applicator’s Manual -https://ccmedia.fdacs.gov/content/download/109002/file/Public-Health-Manual-2023.pdf
• Division of Vector-Borne Diseases - https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dvbd/index.html

Special thanks to Alissa Berro, Section Manager, Public Works, Pinellas County for assistance in the script writing of this episode.

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations

Today's episode is all about Florida's pink birds, including the iconic roseate spoonbill and American flamingo.

Learn More:

• Read the NPR article we discussed about Hurricane Idalia and Flamingo sightings.
• View iNaturalist observations of Flamingos since 2020

How to Help:

• Don't feed water birds: Read why, here.
• Respect wildlife - view from a distance! Watch a short video about 'Rule of Thumb' for wildlife viewing, here.
• Submit your observations to iNaturalist.

Sources:

• https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Roseate_Tern/overview
• https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterbirds/american-flamingo/
• https://myfwc.com/wildlifehabitats/profiles/birds/waterbirds/roseate-spoonbill/

If you enjoyed this episode, please consider sharing it with a friend who might enjoy learning about Florida's natural areas and the wild things that live here!

If you're active on iNaturalist, consider joining our iNaturalist project, Naturally Florida's Listener Observations, here: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.inaturalist.org/projects/naturally-florida-s-listener-observations