The fantastic wildlife in SW Florida !
5 years ago
Featured Answer
Sort by:Oldest
Comments (11)
Related Discussions
Adding Shrubs for Wildlife
Comments (78)I just haven't been posting on the shrubs or wildlife garden forums because I rarely go here now. These used to be my favorite forums but it seems like not much goes on around here since a bunch of people left gardenweb afew years ago when it changed. I grow roses now so am at the rose forums everyday as I started roses three years ago. I know before I got the shrub areas of my yard done, I was not interested in anything like roses as I wanted a yard to attract backyard songbirds and butterflies. As these areas started to grow in I thought it looked so nice but what I thought I needed was some color for that punch that I didn't have after the azaelas finished blooming. And I have about forty azaelas. So I redid a perrenial garden that wasn't looking like what I wanted into a rose garden. It looks smashing. I spray the roses only with a fungicide, so birds find plenty of bugs here, even on the roses and no birds or bees are harmed here. Butterfly attracting plants like milkweed, purple coneflowers, mexican sunflowers, Joe Pye weeds and so on are still here just like they used to be. And I have lots of fruit here like cherry trees (5), Mulberry tree, lots and lots of Blueberries, raspberries, blackberries, red currants, gooseberries which are supposed to be for people but I never net anything so the birds get more than their fair share. I now have house wrens nesting in my backyard for the first time and had chicadees nesting for the past three years. Saw my first rabbit in my yard ever this spring. My yard is very cottage garden as I love a jumble of things....See MoreAlaska Wildlife Conservation Center (7pics)
Comments (13)Uxorial, I used an Olympus digital camera. And yes, the cold affected the camera. It fogged up the lenses inside the camera and occasionally it wouldn't operate at all but that was rare. I kept it tucked inside my jacket whenever I wasn't using it. I also noticed that none of my photos are as crisp and clear as they have been previously. One of the gals I traveled with had all kinds of problems with her little camera (can't remember which one it was). Hers shut down altogether a good deal of the time and she was going through batteries at a ridiculous rate. I gave her one of my hand warmers to wrap around the camera on a particularly cold photo op day. It really helped. I went through more batteries than usual as well but not as bad as hers. She'd take 10 pictures and her batteries were dead. I'm sure Casey who takes all the wonderful photos in cold, icy Newfoundland can shed some more light on this problem. Jodi-...See MoreSuggestions for house hunting in SW Florida
Comments (19)@writersblock- ">Everyone will tell you that if you replace, you are REQUIRED to get impact windows and doors Hmm, I live on a barrier island off the east coast and I have never heard anyone say that." - If you're not in Florida, you may not have heard this. It may even be just south Florida. It seems to come up in discussion with Realtors, contractors, neighbors, etc, and thinking about it, just conversations with people who live here in St Pete or more south (Ft Myers, Cape Coral, Marco Island, Sanibel, Captiva, Keys, etc). And it's not just limited to windows - people just don't check the code requirements themselves - they rely on what some contractor told them or how their neighbor had to do it - I saw this also with building our pool (setbacks and such, which changed dramatically the year we built ours) and seawalls and docks and lifts (the major improvements we did to our house) One particularly opinionated neighbor even asked if we had talked to our insurance company before we planted our Royal Palms. ">since they were impact, they had huge frames and tiny panes Confused by this. It's true that the frame of an impact window goes further into the wall, but it should not make any difference at all in the amount of visible glass. There are places, like my upstairs sliders, where I couldn't use impact glass because there's not enough wall at the sides to anchor them properly, but if there were, the amount of actual window would be identical with regular glass." - What you describe is exactly the problem. It was a grouping of (I recall) about 4 or 6 separate impact windows where one would normally put a large picture window (I don't know if it was less expensive to do this way or why they didn't put in one window - but even they now admit that this add-on was a mistake). And the window panes are slightly smaller and the frames slightly bigger on the impact windows you buy here (Maybe just Florida? Miami-Dade code we all have to follow now). But if you can imagine the framing support requirements for each window, it put about, I don't know, 8-10" between the window frames (seems like more). The main horizontal support between the upper and lower windows is right at my eye height (I'm 5'7") and I can't see into the upper windows without hopping up, and have to squat a little to see out the lower windows. Remember this is the waterview side of the room. There are new tenants moving in right now, but maybe I can sneak over and get a picture from the outside sometime... Your neighbors' insurance story is awful. I can't believe they need certification for shutters, but I assume it's the insurance company inspector and they can do whatever they want. The city inspector didn't even look at the certification for our one impact window (for egress) because he was familiar enough with the PGT brand that he took one look and knew it was fine. For the front door, he just looked at the anchors around the door, and saw the shutters stacked in the garage, and signed off. I had pictures on my camera to show him with the shutters installed and he just waved me off. My insurance company hasn't even asked, and we have almost all original single-pane Miami windows (with no shutters) and we don't want to replace them because you can't get them here anymore (unless we do it unpermitted). But we are concrete block, didn't insure the carpet, and the rest of the house is tile, and we have a newer tile roof. Those are bigger factors here for insurance....See MoreLarge Epipremnum aureums on central and south Florida trees
Comments (21)That is all correct. The upward-curved vine tip will occur when the vine is growing along the ground, because when it encounters a vertical surface it is positioned to take advantage of it. The same curve will happen when it grows past the top of the vertical surface and is hanging in space because it is still seeking a vertical orientation. If it were to grow straight on the ground and in the air, it would pass the tree or vertical surface instead of attaching to it and climbing it. A straight orientation hanging in the air would put it on a trip back to the ground. This plant is programmed to climb. If it grows on the ground, its leaves are small, and its tip is curved upwards. It grows small leaves to support its growth and focus all of its energy towards elongation. Internodes are long, and it is REACHING to find something to climb. When it encounters a suitable surface and attaches, it has achieved mission number 1. Leaves get larger, and the vine thickens with each new leaf. Internodes get shorter, the tip straightens because it is vertically oriented and attached. If the tip curved now, it would launch itself out into space and defeat mission number two, which is reaching the canopy, where it can get the premium quality light. Right now it is putting all of its energy into growing large leaves, large vines, and large aerial roots to grip its host. It is happy in this position, growing the largest, most robust leaves and vines that are simply not achievable without being attached. It is still reaching (upward), but not with the same desperation. Its needs are being met while it pursues mission number 2. If you were to pry the tip away from its host, each new leaf will grow smaller, the vine will grow thinner, the internodes will lengthen, and the tip will curve toward a vertical orientation. Now it is again in reaching mode, elongating desperately in search of a new host. Now I am not a botanist, and i havent read any books on the subject. I learned this by observing its behavior when i encounter it. Maybe someone that has some botanical training can confirm or correct my hypothesis....See More- 5 years ago
- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years agojofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a ) thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
- 5 years agojofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a ) thanked judyk_2008 9a DeLeon Sprs. (NW Volusia)
- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years agojofus, ( Englewood, Fl zone 10a ) thanked sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)
- 5 years agolast modified: 5 years ago
Related Stories
GARDENING GUIDESDoes Your Garden Welcome Wildlife Visitors With Something to Eat?
Learn which flowers and plants provide essential food for pollinators and other beneficial wildlife
Full StoryHOUZZ TV FAVORITESHouzz TV: Animals, Love and Color on a Florida Farm
Farm-fresh style is just right for this family of 6 — and their horses, dogs, cats, chickens, zebus, birds and pig
Full StoryGARDENING FOR BUTTERFLIESGarden for Wildlife to Reap Rich Rewards
When you plant with animals and insects in mind, you make gardening easier, the planet healthier and yourself more present
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: A Family Beach Retreat on the Gulf of Florida
Organic elements and casual coastal style rule in this bright and airy getaway
Full StoryCOLORExterior Color of the Week: Go Navy!
It’s daring and dramatic, but also a neutral. And it looks fantastic on almost any home
Full StorySMALL HOMESYou Probably Didn’t Know an RV Could Look This Good
A Florida designer renovates a used RV, building in a workspace that allows her and her husband to travel half the year
Full StoryHOUZZ TOURSMy Houzz: Home Full of Boys Achieves Order and Inspiration
A 3-month overhaul produces an organized and inviting space fit for this Florida family of 9
Full StoryPORCH OF THE WEEKA Wraparound Goes From Unwelcoming to Irresistible
Renovating the porch adds neighborliness and charm to this 1908 Florida home
Full StoryFALL GARDENINGHouzz Call: Show Us Your Fall Color!
Post pictures of your fall landscape — plants, leaves, wildlife — in the Comments section. Your photo could appear in an upcoming article
Full StoryGARDENING GUIDESWhat’s in a Name? See 6 Wildflowers That Aren’t ‘Weeds’ at All
Dispel the stereotypes of weeds and try these wildlife-supporting native wildflowers in your garden
Full Story
sultry_jasmine_nights (Florida-9a-ish)