Eileen Ward | Columnist There are many flowering shrubs and trees either in bloom or just beginning to bloom right now around Southwest Florida. Several people have asked me about the pretty pink trees blooming in the medians. The Tabebuia heterophylla or pink tabebuia is a variety that will grow to 50 feet and so…
Eileen Ward | Columnist On Tuesday we celebrate Earth Day. This holiday was first celebrated in 1970. It is a great day to think about the beautiful environment surrounding us on Marco Island and how to perhaps create habitats (think your yard) that are more friendly and inviting to the environment and the creatures that…
The Pensacola area turned into a winter wonderland this week, along with much of the Panhandle, to the delight of those able to take full advantage of the free time afforded by the snowy conditions. Once the memory-making moments and fun subsided, however, infrastructure vulnerable to the cold created problems for people all over the…
Many of you may not realize that Florida is one of the few states in the eastern U.S. that still contains large intact wilderness areas. The Florida Wildlife Corridor Act, passed by state legislators in 2021, set up the Florida Wildlife Corridor ― nearly 18 million acres of contiguous wilderness and farmlands essential to the…
We dodged another major storm as Helene moves past us farther out in the Gulf. We experienced only tropical storm winds and rains, so the damage to our landscapes should be minimal. Most of the debris should be from Royal palms and Gumbo Limbo trees. Both are designed by nature to lose branches and not…
A show-stopping West Palm Beach home painted in bold black and white swirls, circles and diamond patterns is up for sale south of the city’s bustling downtown for $725,000. The 1,340-square-foot house has served as a short-term rental since its 2019 purchase by Gene Maltsev, who as an admirer of modern art wanted to do…
I have often encouraged Marco Island residents to become better stewards of our land by learning good horticultural practices and to learn to identify and remove invasive, exotic plants from our landscapes, vacant lots and natural areas. Many nonnative plants have been introduced accidentally or on purpose as garden plants or agricultural crops. Some of…
