The WFSU Ecology Blog
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    • EcoAdventures
      • Kayak and Canoe Adventures
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    • WFSU Public Media Home
  • Documentaries
    • EcoCitizen Show | Seasons in South Tallahassee
    • Red Wolf Family Celebrates First Year at the Tallahassee Museum
    • Roaming the Red Hills
    • Oyster Doctors
    • Testing the Ecology of Fear
    • EcoShakespeare
    • Stories from the Apalachicola
    • Classic WFSU Ecology Documentaries
  • Habitats
    • Estuaries
      • Oyster Reef
        • The Effects of Predators and Fear on Oyster Reefs
        • Apalachicola Oyster Research
        • Animal Species in a North Florida Intertidal Oyster Reef
        • Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
      • Salt Marsh
        • In the Grass- Salt Marsh Biodiversity Study
        • Plants and Animals of a North Florida Salt Marsh
        • Salt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
      • Seagrass Bed
        • Predatory Snails, and Prey, of the Bay Mouth Bar Seagrass Beds
      • In the Grass, On the Reef Glossary
    • Waterways Big and Small
      • Apalachicola Basin
        • Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines | Virtual Field Trip
        • The Age of Nature Screening & Discussion | The Future of the Apalachicola
        • Apalachicola RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin
        • Apalachicola River and Bay
      • Aucilla/ Wacissa Watershed
    • Longleaf Pine & Fire Ecology
  • Backyard Habitat
    • Backyard Blog
      • The Backyard Bug Blog 2018
      • Backyard Blog January 2019
      • Backyard Blog February 2019
      • Backyard Blog March 2019
      • Backyard Blog May 2019
      • Backyard Blog April 2019
      • Backyard Blog June 2019
      • Backyard Blog July 2019
      • Backyard Blog August 2019
      • Backyard Blog September 2019
      • Backyard Blog October through December 2019
      • Backyard Blog January 2020
      • Backyard Blog February and March 2020
      • Backyard Blog April 2020
      • Backyard Blog May 2020
      • Backyard Blog June 2020
      • July and August 2020 Backyard Blog
      • Backyard Blog September/ October 2020
      • Backyard Blog November/ December 2020
      • Backyard Ecology Blog | 2021
    • Backyard Flora and Fauna
      • Bees of North Florida and South Georgia
      • Woody Vines of North Florida
    • Florida Friendly Seasonal Planting Guide
    • Pollinator and Gardening Posts
    • Gardening Web Resources
Kayak and Canoe Adventures
Chipola River Paddling Trail | The Ovens and...
Kayaking Bald Point | Adventure on a Living...
Wacissa Springs Adventure | Kayaking a Wild Florida...
A Geologist’s View of the Apalachicola River |...
Upper Chipola River Kayak Adventure | Ghosts &...
Tate’s Hell & the Apalachicola River Delta |...
Kayak Scouting Mission on the Ochlockonee Water Trail
Merritt’s Mill Pond | Kayaking and Spring Caves
Kayaking the Apalachicola River with my Four-Year-Old Son
Canoeing the Aucilla: A Red Hills River Steeped...

The WFSU Ecology Blog

  • Home
    • About
    • EcoAdventures
      • Kayak and Canoe Adventures
      • Hiking
      • Wildlife Watching
    • WFSU Public Media Home
  • Documentaries
    • EcoCitizen Show | Seasons in South Tallahassee
    • Red Wolf Family Celebrates First Year at the Tallahassee Museum
    • Roaming the Red Hills
    • Oyster Doctors
    • Testing the Ecology of Fear
    • EcoShakespeare
    • Stories from the Apalachicola
    • Classic WFSU Ecology Documentaries
  • Habitats
    • Estuaries
      • Oyster Reef
        • The Effects of Predators and Fear on Oyster Reefs
        • Apalachicola Oyster Research
        • Animal Species in a North Florida Intertidal Oyster Reef
        • Oyster Reef Ecology | On the Reef
      • Salt Marsh
        • In the Grass- Salt Marsh Biodiversity Study
        • Plants and Animals of a North Florida Salt Marsh
        • Salt Marsh Ecology | In the Grass
      • Seagrass Bed
        • Predatory Snails, and Prey, of the Bay Mouth Bar Seagrass Beds
      • In the Grass, On the Reef Glossary
    • Waterways Big and Small
      • Apalachicola Basin
        • Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines | Virtual Field Trip
        • The Age of Nature Screening & Discussion | The Future of the Apalachicola
        • Apalachicola RiverTrek | Kayaking, Camping, & Hiking the River Basin
        • Apalachicola River and Bay
      • Aucilla/ Wacissa Watershed
    • Longleaf Pine & Fire Ecology
  • Backyard Habitat
    • Backyard Blog
      • The Backyard Bug Blog 2018
      • Backyard Blog January 2019
      • Backyard Blog February 2019
      • Backyard Blog March 2019
      • Backyard Blog May 2019
      • Backyard Blog April 2019
      • Backyard Blog June 2019
      • Backyard Blog July 2019
      • Backyard Blog August 2019
      • Backyard Blog September 2019
      • Backyard Blog October through December 2019
      • Backyard Blog January 2020
      • Backyard Blog February and March 2020
      • Backyard Blog April 2020
      • Backyard Blog May 2020
      • Backyard Blog June 2020
      • July and August 2020 Backyard Blog
      • Backyard Blog September/ October 2020
      • Backyard Blog November/ December 2020
      • Backyard Ecology Blog | 2021
    • Backyard Flora and Fauna
      • Bees of North Florida and South Georgia
      • Woody Vines of North Florida
    • Florida Friendly Seasonal Planting Guide
    • Pollinator and Gardening Posts
    • Gardening Web Resources

Composting in Tallahassee | Building Soil in the Red Hills and Sandhills

Native Soils of Tallahassee: Red Hills, Sandhills, and Ancient Oceans

Hiking the Aucilla Sinks | Geology of the Floridan Aquifer Uncovered

New WFSU Ecology Intern To Help Out at Lake Elberta

Florida and Georgia Head to the Supreme Court — Again — In...

  • Archeology

  • Explore animals

  • Explore Plants

  • Backyard Ecology

Latest News

  • In the GardenPlants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf PinePollinators and Gardening

    The Case for Weeds, Our Unsung Florida Native Plants

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas January 4, 2021
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas January 4, 2021

    Many of the weeds growing in your yard are native plants with wildlife value. We share tips for identifying species and deciding whether to keep them.

  • Along the CoastEcoAdventuresWildlife in North Florida- Critters Big and Small

    Shorebirds in the Misty Morning | Surveying the St. Marks Refuge

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas December 15, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas December 15, 2020

    We start our day before sunrise at the Saint Marks National Wildlife Refuge. Here, we spend a misty morning surveying shorebirds with Don Morrow.

  • Wildlife in North Florida- Critters Big and Small

    New Red Wolf Breeding Pair at the Tallahassee Museum

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 18, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 18, 2020

    A male from the Tallahassee Museum’s 2017 red wolf litter has been paired with a female to breed. It’s one of many new moves for the wolf pack.

  • Apalachicola River and Bay

    Building Climate Resiliency in the Apalachicola Watershed

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 5, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 5, 2020

    Climate change has left a mark on the Apalachicola watershed. We look at how habitat restoration and land purchases might make the region more resilient.

  • Apalachicola River and BayLongleaf Pine & Fire EcologyPlants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf Pine

    Biodiversity in the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 5, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas November 5, 2020

    We look at the many plants and animals- including a few rare ones- that make the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines a top biodiversity hotspot.

  • Apalachicola River and BayLongleaf Pine & Fire Ecology

    Fire, Sand, and Water in the Apalachicola Bluffs and Ravines

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas October 8, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas October 8, 2020

    Habitat restoration in the Apalachicola Bluffs and ravines sends ripples throughout the whole river system, and preserves globally rare ecology and geology.

  • Apalachicola River and BayLongleaf Pine & Fire EcologyPlants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf Pine

    The Age of Nature on WFSU, and on the Apalachicola

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas September 15, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas September 15, 2020

    In October, WFSU is airing a PBS mini-series called Age of Nature. In the coming weeks, we ‘ll explore the show’s themes along the Apalachicola River basin.

  • Along the CoastEcology in Art & LiteratureWildlife in North Florida- Critters Big and Small

    Susan Cerulean’s New Book: I Have Been Assigned the Single Bird

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas August 13, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas August 13, 2020

    We go to Bald Point to talk to Susan Cerulean about her new book, a reflection on her father’s dementia, and on the loss of shorebirds and their habitat.

  • Plants- From Wildflowers to Longleaf PinePollinators and GardeningThe Red Hills of Florida & Georgia

    Klapp-Phipps Pollinator Safari | In Search of the Golden-Banded Skipper

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas August 3, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas August 3, 2020

    On a quarter-mile stretch of power line cut at Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park, we see over thirty pollinator species, including the rare golden-banded skipper.

  • Wildlife in North Florida- Critters Big and Small

    Dara Wilson | Black Birders Week, a Tallahassee Perspective

    by Rob Diaz de Villegas July 16, 2020
    by Rob Diaz de Villegas July 16, 2020

    In the wake of Black Birders Week, Dara Wilson reflects on falling in love with nature in Central America, and her struggles and successes in Tallahassee.

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The 2021 Backyard Blog

Eastern bumblebee on blueberry flower.

With every passing day, spring brings us more flowers, and more pollinators (and many other insects as well).

Florida milkvetch

Florida milkvetch (Astragalus obcordatus) in the Munson Sandhills

When I test out a new camera, I usually head to a random spot in the Munson Sandhills and take a series of videos and photos. This small flower caught my eye, as almost nothing was in bloom. I identified it as Florida milkvetch (Astragalus obcordatus) in iNaturalist, and it was confirmed.
I then saw a photo of this plant in a Facebook group for native plant enthusiasts. It turns out this is kind of a rare plant, and one botanist went so far as to classify it as imperiled. It pays to keep your eyes down by your feet when walking in the sandhills.

WFSU-FM Environmental Stories

  • Compromise To Reallocate Affordable Housing Money For Environment Projects Heads to Governor’s Desk
  • Democratic Lawmakers, Advocates Say Right To Farm Bill Is Ploy To Protect Sugarcane Burning
  • Housing, Environmental Advocates Blast Housing Fund Sweep
  • Supreme Court: Florida Loses Water War With Georgia
  • A Spring Cleaning For Tallahassee’s Lake Elberta

Twitter

Tweets by wfsuIGOR

iNaturalist

iNaturalist became a part of the WFSU Ecology Blog during the EcoCitizen Project in 2019.  Since then, we’ve used it to help identify the many plants and animals we see on our shoots.  And on the Backyard Blog, we show how it can be used to identify weeds and garden insects, to help figure out what’s beneficial or a possible pest.  Below is the iNaturalist profile belonging to WFSU Ecology producer Rob Diaz de Villegas.

iNaturalist.org

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View robdv’s observations »

Most Recent

  • Composting in Tallahassee | Building Soil in the Red Hills and Sandhills
  • Native Soils of Tallahassee: Red Hills, Sandhills, and Ancient Oceans
  • Hiking the Aucilla Sinks | Geology of the Floridan Aquifer Uncovered
  • New WFSU Ecology Intern To Help Out at Lake Elberta
  • Florida and Georgia Head to the Supreme Court — Again — In Fight Over Water

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