Wildflowers in bloom are autumn's colorful gift Dear Friend, Florida’s native wildflower blooms have become my favorite part of autumn. And although plants bloom throughout Florida’s seasons, there is something special about the pops of color appearing here in South Florida while other states experience the fall foliage of orange, yellow and red leaves. Sometimes one just gets a quick glimpse, like passing by a field in bloom on the side of the interstate. These sunny roadsides are prime locations for patches of wildflowers, but don’t always allow for up close and personal observation. Southeastern Sunflowers blooming by the millions at Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary do allow for [...]

Rain or shine, Florida's natural areas are worth exploring Peace and quiet can be hard to come by in South Florida, where constant threats to our beloved natural spaces shock us and development swells into places we never imagined it would. But I encourage you to take a breath, because tranquil pockets of nature still exist, and the stillness of an early morning in the Everglades ecosystem is the perfect antidote to anxiety. Rain or shine, they are worth visiting, as I did one recent moody morning. With Hurricanes Imelda and Humberto swirling offshore, I decided a sunrise visit to Loxahatchee Slough Natural Area in Palm [...]