Jacksonville, FL

The Duval County Extension office is offering a series of workshops to help make your yard cooperate with Florida’s climate, soil and water. What should you grow? Read on.

The ideal Florida back yard features plants conducive to the amount of rain we receive, the soil in our area and the blazing heat we experience in summer months. The Duval County Extension Office is offering a series of workshops under the banner “Camp Florida Friendly.” Participants can learn how to create a Florida-friendly yard, how to landscape for wildlife and vegetables, and even how to plant for security.

The workshops at the Extension office located at 1010 N. McDuff Avenue in Jacksonville begin July 10. There is a $5 fee for each session or a $25 fee to attend all six sessions.

For more information, call 904-387-8850. Visit the Extension office on the Web, and check out the calendar pages for upcoming events.

Yesterday, I spied the butterfly in the photo above enjoying a big Lantana that grows by the corner of my office. When we bought this house about five years ago, the Lantana was a single tiny sprig nestled by some old azaleas. I made sure if someone besides me cut the grass, that little sprig was left alone. That bush is now about four feet wide and makes a beautiful blooming work of natural art. Butterflies and hummingbirds frequent it. We never have to water it; we do cut it back when cool weather approaches. My mother had a huge Lantana bush growing by her lily bed when I was a girl. So my own plant is a touchstone for my childhood.

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Landscape, Florida yards, Plants, Shrubs, Butterflies, Florida Wildlife, Conservation, Environment, Florida Friendly Yard

Mandarin Park is a favorite place for my family; we like to go in the late afternoon. We take a cup of coffee and watch the boats come in. You can also have a lot of fun watching for Manatees here.

The Florida Times-Union features a write-up about a new report on the status of the St. Johns River. The report was furnished by the St. Johns Riverkeeper and the Public Trust Environmental Law Institute of Florida.

A total of 298 violations occurred during a 20-month study period. Sanitary Sewer Overflows totaled almost 266,000 gallons of material, with the majority relating to sewage.

Increasing development in Northeast Florida may make this problem even worse in the future. The river is our greatest asset, says the Riverkeeper Web site, with “billions of dollars realized in commerce, tourism and industry.” The site notes the unique character of the river:

The St. Johns River is the longest river in Florida at 310 miles and one of the few rivers in the United States that flows north, dropping less than 30 feet from its source to its mouth, or about 1 inch per mile.

The river is home to 183 species of fish and is designated as an American Heritage River, one of only 14 rivers in the entire United States to receive this prestigious national recognition, the site says.

Privately funded, the St. Johns Riverkeeper is an objective voice for our river. The organization depends on private donations, and different levels of membership that begin at modest rates are available. Visit the Web site to join and to learn more about the river. The full report is also posted there.

Above all the features I’ve found after moving to Jacksonville, the St. Johns is the most magnificent. We’ve been entrusted with an incredible resource. It’s up to us to see it stays healthy. (photo and text by Kay B. Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, St. Johns River, report, environment, pollution, Jacksonville, stewardship, conservation, development

I’ve written about Barbara Jean’s Restaurant for another site, but it’s worth repeating here.

Once a month or so, my husband and I set aside a Saturday for a beach date. We head to Mickler’s Landing for a long walk. This is our favorite beach in the area because it’s not very commercialized. Unless of course you count the mansions fronting the ocean. We usually go around 2 p.m. because chances are better for a parking space in the paved lot. There are outdoor showers for washing the sand off your feet. There’s also a lifeguard on duty now, for those who like to swim. It’s fun to watch the surfers who love to hit the water regardless of the weather.

I always get great photos at Mickler’s. One of my favorites is an elaborate sand sculpture—the creation looks like an alien. You can find pretty shells, and there are supposed to be shark’s teeth, but I haven’t found any of those yet.

After our walk, we head to Barbara Jean’s, a restaurant located at the old Ward’s Landing site on the intercoastal waterway. Southern Living says the crabcakes here are the best, and I’d have to agree. The she-crab soup is superb; great quality crab meat in a concoction seasoned to perfection. The menu offers a variety of seafood dishes. You could just about make a meal of the homemade bread—pumpkin bread, jalapeno corn bread and wheat rolls. You can pick sides from a large selection of homemade vegetable dishes; the squash casserole is my personal favorite. Dress is casual; prices are reasonable. Directions are available at the Web site.

Weather permitting, we sit on the deck and watch the boats cruise the waterway. Birds entertain us with their antics. The view from the deck offers a panoramic natural scene–there’s nothing developed on the shoreline across from the restaurant. We’ve often wondered why bugs aren’t bothersome when we eat out here–after all, this is Florida. I suppose the birds eat them all. After a glass of Chardonnay, we head back home and listen to music. I’ve made several CDs from selections at iTunes just for our beach days.

Nothing breaks the tedium like a beach date. It does a body–and the spirit–good.
(photos and text by Kay B. Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Barbara Jeans, Ponte Vedra, Mickler’s Landing, Jacksonville FL, recreation, seafood

We think this snake is a Southern Black Racer. He seems to enjoy the shrubbery and the Sagos that ring our yard.

I’ve stepped on him or his kin as I pull weeds in my small backyard garden. I’ve admired him as he suns in the Sago branches, or in the other shrubs along the front of our house. We think he’s a Southern Black Racer, a common species in these parts.

I’ve thanked him silently for helping to keep our lizard and rodent population under control, and hopefully, for helping keep other snakes that aren’t as friendly under control as well.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Web site refers to the Black Racer as a “slithering garbage pail.”

My husband shot this photo Saturday morning. Until I uploaded it to the computer, I couldn’t appreciate the length of this snake. What we have appreciated many times is his curious spirit—the way he raises his head, probably looking for prey. He shouldn’t run out of food anytime soon because we have many species like lizards and frogs in abundance. I’ve also seen a few mice in the area around the pool house.

He’s startled me at times. One afternoon as I returned with groceries, I came within inches of him. He was sunning on the walkway in front of our door. I set the bags down and possibly from the ground vibrations, he took off. Another time, he decided to get an up-close look at my daughters as they sunned and swam near the pool. Probably because of their ear-piercing screams and hysterics, he took off.

I wrote about that event; this story was the beginning of my relationship writing for the local section of the Florida Times-Union.

Of course, I don’t know if he’s a beautiful boy or girl, but I do know this snake has done good things for us. He isn’t very aggressive. Otherwise, the day I stepped on him he’d have got a good bite out of my foot.

Because of the racer and other wildlife like backyard birds, possums, and the occasional turtle, we leave edge around the backyard fence and we try not to over-prune the large bushes.

Development is taking every available green space in our community right now. It’s as though every patch and every tree has a bulls-eye painted on it. I figure providing a substitute home is the least we can do for wildlife. (text by Kay B. Day; photo by Randy Day)

Word Press, Technorati, Tags, Southern Black Racer, Snake, Backyard Wildlife, development, environment, species, protection, conservation, Florida Wildlife

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I might not have noticed them if it hadn’t been for our hound. I’d just got out of bed, and walked out back so Shadow could tend to his morning business. Usually, he heads right to the edge of our yard. Instead, as I sipped my coffee, he stopped dead in his tracks.

I walked over to see what had engaged his nose—we often joke our hound is a prisoner of his nose.

Two tiny bats lay on the deck.

Although I’ve certainly seen bats darting around after sundown, I’ve never found one dead. Did they have rabies? A biologist I wrote for once told me to never touch a dead bat because of that possibility. Was someone putting out some sort of poison in our neighborhood? The way the two creatures were positioned seemed strange. I told my husband it looked as though they held hands as they fell out of the sky together. We dubbed them “the twins.”

Although it was Sunday, Cyndi Marks called me within a few hours of receiving my email full of questions. I included a photo. Marks is executive director of the Florida Bat Conservancy. Like so many others who work on behalf of wildlife, she’s dedicated. How many executives would phone a journalist on a Sunday?
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