The Trailblazer

  Large shading trees are a great addition to any Florida homeowner’s landscape. They give nesting opportunities to native wildlife, help prevent erosion, improve air quality, act as a wind break during storms, add property value to a home, and if strategically planted, will even help save on electrical bills by shading the home. However, not all trees come with the same benefits; some come with detrimental effects to Florida’s ecosystems. Once a tree begins to spread, disrupt native ecosystems, and alter landscapes, it starts to become an invasive species.  Many of Florida’s invasive trees were brought here to be used as ornamental trees by homeowners, community centers, and businesses. As with many invasive plants in Florida, it didn’t take long for these trees to find their way into sensitive native ecosystems. Once invasive trees establish a small population in native ecosystems, they begin to morph the surroundings. If left unchecked, invasive trees can develop into monoc...

Meet the amazing, dedicated staff who help to keep our nature preserves healthy, clean, and accessible! Even if you go hiking, riding, bird watching or kayaking in our nature preserves all the time, you may not get a chance to talk to our staff too often. Just under 50 staff manage Hillsborough County's over 63,000 acres of nature preserves, so they're pretty spread out. We want to give you this opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's nature preserves in good shape. Our staff do everything from mowing, trash pickup, and fence construction to prescribed fire, invasive species removal, ecological restoration, guided programs and more! This month, we asked Tamara to give us a little insight into her position and what conservation means to her. Here's what she had to share! How did you get into this field? Growing up I always loved spending my time outside weather it was helping my dad in the yard or playing. When I got out of high ...

As you hike, you'll come to posts marked with the letters A through F (shown on the trail map). At each trail marker,  stop and listen to (or read)  the short informational clip provided.  You can download each marker separately using the links provided OR download the entire audio file and pause it between trail markers. You can also download the text to read along instead of listening. Remember to  bring a trail map, water, bug spray, and a snack  with you and tell someone where you're going.  Happy hiking!  Trail Map and Text Links: >>Bell Creek Trail Map This is a geo-referenced trail map, meaning that if you download a mapping app like  Avenza  on your smartphone and open this PDF in the app, it will let you see your location on the map as you hike.  >>Full Hike Text Only Audio Links: >>Full Hike Audio You only have to download one audio file, but you'll have to pause it between trail markers.  >>Introdu...

 Sunny, bright, hearty Wedelia is beloved by gardeners and homeowners- but is causing serious damage to Florida's natural areas. If you’re like me, you’ve probably been going on more walks, bike rides, or outings near your home since March. That makes this the perfect time to learn more about invasive plants that you can find in your own neighborhood! This month’s spotlight species, Sphagneticola trilobata (also known as wedelia or creeping oxeye) is extremely common in coastal and wet areas, but can be found in other spots too, especially in places where people water their lawns frequently. It’s a major groundcover plant in many neighborhoods- look for small, mostly three-lobed leaves and lots of tiny yellow flowers with bright-yellow centers. Wedelia growing through tall grass Wedelia's distinctive, three-lobed leaves Wedelia probably came to Florida to be used as a hearty ornamental groundcover. Its fast growth and lovely, bright yellow flowers made it popular all over the ...

Meet the amazing, dedicated staff who help to keep our nature preserves healthy, clean, and accessible! Even if you go hiking, riding, bird watching or kayaking in our nature preserves all the time, you may not get a chance to talk to our staff too often. Just under 50 staff manage Hillsborough County's over 63,000 acres of nature preserves, so they're pretty spread out. We want to give you this opportunity to meet and learn about the people who work hard to keep the County's nature preserves in good shape. Our staff do everything from mowing, trash pickup, and fence construction to prescribed fire, invasive species removal, ecological restoration, guided programs and more! This month, we asked Stephen Dickman to give us a little insight into his position and what conservation means to him. Here's what he had to share! "Growing up in Florida, I developed an appreciation for the region’s natural areas early on. As a kid, I was fascinated with the habitats and animal...

Apollo Beach Nature Preserve:  More than a scenic view Apollo Beach Nature Preserve will reopen to the public on Wednesday, September 9th. The Preserve was closed for several months due to construction of our brand-new observation tower in the parking area. The observation tower is wheelchair accessible and provides 360° views of the Preserve. To the west, visitors will be able to see all the way across the bay to St. Petersburg. An extensive restoration consisting of 23 acres of uplands and 33 acres of wetland can be seen to the east, pictured below: Between 2003 and 2007, the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s SWIM program funded the following projects to restore the wetland and upland habitats: 2003: dune planting adjacent to the preserve. 2004: grading and planting of wetlands and upland islands which included grading and shaping a tidal marsh with upland buffer areas. 2006: upland buffer zone planted. 2007: removal of 200 Australian pines and Brazilian pepper trees...

Beach erosion, property damage, and habitat destruction, oh my!  The Australian pine is still loved by many Floridians, but it's destroying native areas and causing widespread property damage. Australian pine silhouetted against the sky It may look like just another pine tree at first glance, but don’t be fooled! Common names can be deceiving, and the Australian pine ( Casuarina equisetifolia ) isn’t a pine tree at all. Its small, evergreen leaves lay flat against long trailing stems, and from a distance these multi-leafed stems look like pine needles. Its reproductive structures even resemble pine cones, but this tree is much more closely related to many broad-leaf trees than it is to the true conifers. Sadly, the deception doesn’t stop there. Early Floridians were also deceived into thinking the Australian pine was both useful and harmless, but this species is now one of the most damaging invasive plants in the country. Needle-like branchlets of Australian pine When Australian pi...