#south florida
Buttercup bush (Turnera subulata)
Bountiful blossoms adorn this bush, which does well in warm climates (USDA zones 9-11). Where there are blooms, there are butterflies, bees, and other pollinators abound. With a yellow and black bulls eye like that, no wonder they find it irresistible!
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Cannon ball tree (Couroupita guianensis)
Through all my travels, and people’s private plant collections, this tree was a delightful discovery today.
The soft colorful flowers hang on vine-like pendulums - hundreds per tree. The fruit, by which it gets its common name, are the size but only a fraction of the weight of a real cannon ball. Despite the lack of weight, a dropped fruit from the height of the tree would still pack a punch.
Fruits are edible, but due to its putrid smell, highly unlikely that anyone would dare try it. They are however eaten by javelina.
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Water lilies on a cloudy day
Today what stood out wasn’t the beauty of the water lily, but the contrast of its leaf patterns on the water, and reflections from the sky above.
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Jamaican Croton (Graptophyllum pictum)
After having this bush planted by the front entry for several years - only now have I realized how well it compliments the colors of the house and front door.
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Editorial: Embrace proposed rules to protect manatees
DOUGLAS R. CLIFFORD | Times A tour boat floats nearby as a manatee swims up to the underwater observatory at Three Sisters Springs last week on Kings Bay in Crystal River in Citrus County.
It is a unique, Florida experience: Visitors to Three Sisters Springs in Citrus County are nearly guaranteed in the winter months to see crowds of manatees and even have a chance to swim or paddle alongside…
Protecting a Home Where the Puffer Fish Roam in Biscayne National Park
By: Lizette Alvarez
Fishing from a jetty this month at Biscayne National Park in Florida. The state opposes federal consideration of a no-fishing zone under a conservation plan. Credit Jason Henry for The New York Times
BISCAYNE NATIONAL PARK, Fla. — For 15 years, officials, environmentalists, fishermen and boaters have struggled to put together a plan to protect one of South Florida’s jewels — a…
There are only two factors preventing an individual team from finishing undefeated in the Football Bowl Subdivision.
One is statistics: The odds of perfection decrease as more games get added to the road to the national championship — and as illustrated by Alabama in 2016, the last game is always the hardest.
The second is history. In the past decade, just four Power Five teams have completed a perfect season: Alabama in 2009, Auburn in 2010, Ohio State in 2012 and Florida State in 2014.
But finishing the regular season unbeaten? Maybe that’s another story.
