The Trailblazer

Summer comes to Hillsborough County, bringing with it a host of implications for our gardens and natural areas. Although we astrologically associate the beginning of summer with the summer solstice, which falls on June 20th, the practical succession of seasons varies from year to year. The National Weather Service provides an excellent overview for South Florida. Drought-tolerant Atlantic St. John's-wort ( Hypericum tenuifolium ) is blooming in Bell Creek Nature Preserve, despite the dry weather. Photo by James Robe. For the purposes of this article, the author defines the Florida summer as when daily minimum average temperatures remain in the mid-70s°F, maximum averages in the high 80s°F, and frequent, daily rainfall occurs. Using weather records from Miami International Airport spanning from 1956 to 1997, they demonstrate that the climate we typically associate with summer begins in Miami by May 21st. Persistent drought conditions can make gardening difficult. Blue Porterweed ( S...

  Have you seen it on the news? Bears in Hillsborough County! Over Memorial Day Weekend, a bear was active around some neighborhoods in Hillsborough County, leaving some residents amazed, maybe a little fearful, and picking up their garbage cans in the morning. A Florida black bear in a tree. Photo courtesy of FWC, 2013 Even though they may not hibernate quite like they do in colder climates, spring and early summer is still when Florida black bears become a lot more active. Younger bears may wander far from their normal habitats to find new food sources, and female bears may be teaching new cubs how to forage.  While bears may meander into our neighborhoods, they still don’t want to have human interactions and we don’t want to incentivize them to stay around. How can we make sure we stay safe, and the bears do too? By being good neighbors to nature! Bear vs Garbage Can Photo by Tim Donovan, 2017. Courtesy FWC. Don’t leave a lunch for Yogi. If there are reports of ...

Apis mellifera.  Photo by Steven Smethurst. Part 1: The Big Bee Confabulation Most people would consider themselves at least passingly familiar with the Bee. Alongside rabbits, elephants, whales, and wolves, bees have an unmistakable silhouette. They possess uncanny abilities, such as organizing into hives, producing honey, and even communicating the locations of flowers via the "waggle dance." Equipped with stingers, just the sight and sound of one can send certain people running for cover, and poetically, they die shortly after using this weapon. The Bee fits comfortably in the pantheon of charismatic animals that define our children's books and science education, and consequently, you'd be hard-pressed to find someone who couldn't draw one: yellow and black, maybe with some stripes, and small, buzzing wings hovering over a flower or hive. An except of "The Flower of Nature" including three illustrations of a domesticated Dutch bee species, probably th...

Hillsborough County's ELAPP Nature Preserves are a paradise for butterfly enthusiasts, and no one knows better than Bill Carlisle. Bill is the Prescribed Burn  Coordinator for Hillsborough County’s department of Conservation and Environmental Lands Management. A lifelong Riverview resident, he has a great sense of humor, and possesses the roughly hewn countenance that one can only acquire from decades of wildland firefighting and environmental lands management.  What else comes with that experience? In Bill's case, a multitude of excellent animal and plant pictures! In this article, I am going to cover several of the butterfly species he's documented in our Nature Preserves, as well as some of the host plants you can include in your garden to help support these incredible animals! Remember, a host plant is a plant that a specific butterfly species lays its eggs on and the caterpillars feed on. Long Tailed Skipper ( Urbanus proteus ) Skipper butterflies are often mistaken fo...

One of the best places in Hillsborough County to celebrate spring is also one of its best kept secrets: Eureka Springs.  Springtime at Eureka Springs Conservation Park – perhaps better referred to as a botanical garden – is a verdant paradise of blossoming flora. While walking through the park’s front entryway, you are transported to an oasis of beautiful plants, greenery, and peace. It's not merely a park; it's a sanctuary where time seems to slow, allowing guests to immerse themselves in the beauty of their surroundings. A large oak with staghorn fern, bromeliads, lichen, and other life growing upon it. Eureka Springs Conservation Park is possibly our most unique park. The 30-acre property was gifted to Hillsborough County by entrepreneur Albert Greenberg. After serving in the first World War, Greenberg travelled the world acquiring unique tropical plants and chose to settle them in Tampa.  In the 1930’s, Albert started Everglades Nursery and Aquatic Plants and bought what i...