For longer than I have known him, my husband of nearly 50 years has had a “bucket list” that he made when he was just a lad on Long Island. And, over the years, he has seen them all, some …

I am a dendrophile, that is, a person who loves trees and forests. One of my favorite trees is the longleaf pine. About 150 years ago, the Southeast United States contained 90 million acres of …

In my life, I pay attention when three unconnected experiences reveal something in common to me. Recently it’s been pigs and hogs, the members of the mammal family Suidae. I didn’t go out …

It is officially fall and with each passing day, the amount of sunlight decreases until the arrival of next spring. This change signals the natural world in the northern hemisphere to prepare for …

Join friends of the North Florida Land Trust for an evening to celebrate and support the organization's mission to conserve and protect North Florida’s natural landscapes and environment. The …

“It is a challenging time to be in marine mammal work. We must just keep telling ourselves we are documenting this so that future generations may learn from it and not make the same …

One recent morning I jumped out of bed early because I had a hunch that dawn over the beach would be perfect that day. And I was right! I rushed to the Simmons Road access, close to my home, and got …

Quincy Gibson is the director of the University of North Florida (UNF) Dolphin Research Program. Gibson began studying bottlenose dolphins in the St. Johns River in 2011. And, just like a good …

It has been a while since I visited Jonathan Howard at his Otter Space Wildlife Center in Hilliard and I know a lot has happened there since my last visit. I called him first, as usual, and stopped …

A few weeks ago, I had the pleasure of sharing a conversation with Quincy Gibson, Ph.D., Associate Professor, University of North Florida (UNF) Coastal and Marine Biology Program. Gibson is also the …

One Sunday not long ago, I got to Fort Clinch State Park early one morning to walk on the beach near the fort. It was low tide, and I had to get to the west inlet parking area beside the fort before …

For a change, I jumped out of bed early to head to the beach near the fort in Fort Clinch State Park to catch low tide and to nab a parking spot before all the fossilized shark tooth hunters took up …

They have arrived! They are back! The bluebirds are here! I officially observed eight bluebirds diving down from the wires above the street in front of my house this past week. They were devouring …

Last week I found myself driving a dirt road to nowhere, outside of Gainesville, trying to find the High Springs Orchard ). I somehow missed the orchard and ended up at a dead end in someone’s …

I remember the first fish I ever caught. I was fishing with my father off the YMCA dock on the St. Johns River in Jacksonville. I had a new Zebco fishing rod and reel. The weather was perfect. The …

These days it’s not only nuts I am discovering on the ground during my walks. It’s also grapes, the native type, muscadines, the only native grape here and the only ones that can survive …

It may be hotter than blazes here on Amelia Island right now, but there are signs that autumn is coming. When I walk around my usual trails in the woods, my eyes are now focused on the ground, and …

During the dog days of summer, when the heat is almost unbearable, I find myself drawn to the lush pastures of North Florida. August is the perfect time of year to seek the shade of a large oak tree …

Last week, the St. Marys Riverkeeper announced in a press release that recent water quality testing revealed bacterial contamination in several local waterways on Amelia Island. Egans Creek near Sadler Road, Jackson …

Little did I know when I was in Belize a few weeks ago watching “ 60 Minutes ” about Smith Island, Maryland, that I would soon see this remarkable place myself. My Fernandina snowbird …