BLOGGER-FOR-HIRE in Southwest Florida. Specialties include Florida tourist attractions, wildlife profiles, parks and preserves, eco-tourism, climate change, and live mobile photo blogging of special events.
Live Event Mobile Photo Blogging
Live mobile photo blogging plus a slide show recap, from the Naples Botanical Garden in Southwest Florida
A day of live mobile photo blogging from the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, Orlando, Florida
Live mobile photo blogging from the Wildflower Festival at Corkscrew Regional Ecosystem Watershed's Cypress Dome Trails
Live event mobile photo blogging from Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
Live mobile photo blogging from the Florida Strawberry Festival, Plant City, Florida
Live mobile photo blogging from Disney's Hollywood Studios and EPCOT, Orlando, Florida
Live mobile photo blogging plus a recap with additional pictures - Taste of the Islands, Sanibel Florida
Florida Parks and Preserves
Don’t you love it when you are working on something, but it barely feels like work, just because you are loving it so much? That was today! I started out meeting up with a “work day” group at Deep Lagoon Preserve, one of my...
This is a follow-up to Part 1 of the same hike, which was posted a couple of weeks ago. I promised you shelling, and shelling you shall have :) There are at least two different varieties of apple snails at Harns Marsh – possibly, three – but only one of them is a Florida native.
Saturday morning, I stumbled to my computer as per usual, ample dose of caffeine in hand, and sat down to read the news, check my email, and catch up on Facebook. I happened across an article about a nature festival taking place right here in Lehigh Acres, at a place called Harns Marsh, not far from where I live.
This post will pick up where Wilderness At Bowditch Point left off. We’re on a field trip with my Florida Master Naturalist class (Coastal Systems Module), and we’ve got a really great guide named Roger Clark, from Lee County, Florida’s Conservation 20/20 program.
For our first field trip, my Florida Master Naturalist class (Coastal Systems Module) went on a botanical exploration of a small wilderness located at the northern tip of Estero Island in the town of Fort Myers Beach, Lee County, Florida. This is Bowditch Point Regional Park, part of the Lee County park system. The site had been used as a repository for channel-dredged sand, and is consequently the highest point on the island at 22 feet.
Wildlife
One morning this past March, I found a pair of roseate spoonbills in the Oasis at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. As I pointed my camera at them, they regarded me with their red-rimmed eyes as though a bit ...
Ring-tailed lemurs can be found in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, pretty close to the entrance to It’s Tough To Be A Bug. I enjoy watching these guys. To me, they look like an odd mixture between a fox (pointy face), a raccoon (rings on the tail) and a spider monkey (general shape of body). I’ve done some reading about them and here are the FUNky facts I’ve discovered
My niece and I encountered this lubber grasshopper while on line to see the premiere of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I’ve done a little research and found out some FUNky facts about lubber grasshoppers.
Here are just 5 of the more FUNky things I learned while browsing around the interwebz looking for information about the American brown pelican
Climate Change
Dear What's Your Impact: Does using ceiling fans really help to lower your air conditioning costs? How does this work? - Windy Wanda Dear Wanda: YES, ceiling fans really do help you to save energy - and not just for air conditioning, but for heating your home as well. I've seen estimates for savings anywhere from 4% to ...
Dear WYI: I went on vacation in Florida and our tour guide started talking about how mangrove trees are wonderful "carbon stinks". I didn't detect any kind of "stink" while we were there, so I don't really know what he meant. What are "carbon stinks", and why do we need them? Thank you, Curious George Dear George, Thank you for my morning smile. The tour guide was probably not saying "stink". I am pretty sure he was saying...
Here at Ask What's Your Impact, we've had a series of questions about light bulbs, followed by this fairly recent news item BBC News - US introduces $60 LED light bulb Dear What's Your Impact: What does "CFL" stand for, and why don't these bulbs work in some of the lamps I have at home? - In The Dark Dear What's Your Impact: We went and bought all these CFL bulbs, and now they come out with LED bulbs. I'm confused! Which is better for the environment? Which one should I be using? And...
Dear What's Your Impact: We have done the majority of our heating with the woodstove - using wood that was salvaged by trees downed by storms, or trees that just plain died. Saves a ton of money on heating oil! My question is, am I really reducing my carbon footprint by using the wood stove instead of the oil burner? Or is the stove smoke just as bad for the environment? - woodenwonder Dear woodenwonder: Your question reminds me of years ago, when I lived in the northeastern United...
Dear What's Your Impact: I have an old wireless router that I'm not using any more. What are my options for reselling it? If it isn't worth anything, then how can I recycle it? I know there's a lot of plastic going on here, but I just don't know what to do with it. Help? - Telecomm Tilly Dear Tilly: Love me some new e-toys! However, the old ones do pile up, don't they?
Dear What's Your Impact: Composting is good for the garden, but is it really better for our carbon footprints than just letting the same stuff decompose in the landfill? - Mickey Microbe Dear Mickey Microbe, I think a lot about what ends up in the landfills, hanging around for eternity, increasing our...
Resolutions for a Greener New Year One of the best things about social networking is the ability to "crowdsource"; when you ask a question of a diverse group of individuals, you get a surprising number of high-quality, enthusiastic responses. This week, ASK WYI turns the tables and asks the crowd to respond to OUR question, "If you were to make a New Year's resolution about living a little greener, then what would it be? Drive less? Recycle more? Stop using plastic bags? Start a...
This is the second part of a two-part series about green practices that can be put into use during the holiday season. Don't be shy; hit that "comment" button and tell everyone how you're planning to make YOUR holidays a little greener :) Dear WYI: Please share what we can do about the wrapping paper and bows situation. It's expensive, and it only ends up being thrown away. - Gayle the Giver
I asked my friends if they would pose questions to me about having a "green Christmas" - what would they like to know about implementing a little "Reduce, Reuse, Recycle" during the holiday season? WELL! I was greeted with a cavalcade of questions, testimonials, and discussion! This is Part 1; I'll post Part 2 next week. Without further ado, let the sharing of "green Christmas" tips and tricks commence :) - Erin <br /> Dear What's Your Impact: Which are more "green" - real trees, or...
Dear What's Your Impact:How can I make my home tap water more drinkable? It tastes terrible, but we want to reduce our carbon footprint by stopping the use of water that comes in plastic bottles... WYI says:I had this very same problem when I first moved into my newly-built home here in Florida. The water here is notoriously ...
Dear What's Your Impact: I've read that cows produce greenhouse gases that are harmful to the ozone layer and global climate. This sounds crazy to me! What's the truth? WYI says: I have to admit that my inner 6 year old giggled insanely when first I read your question. After the giggling subsided (somewhat), I started to investigate and was surprised to discover that...
Dear What's Your Impact: I am completely overwhelmed with all this information about things we can do to help the environment. I don't know where to start. Can you give me three things that are simple to do so I can get started? WYI says: Congratulations on your determination to be a little bit greener! Starting simple is the right approach. Experts who study human behavior say that it takes...