The Florida Life

A Hummingbird Garden with Native Florida Flowers

2/1/2023

A hummingbird resting on the top of my honeysuckle. I never knew they stopped moving until I saw this. @jcleveland

Once upon a time we had a large honeysuckle bush that was planted on the corner of our slab back porch. It was over 12 feet tall and full of flowers. The odd thing is only one lone hummingbird ever seemed to find the bush. During a construction project, the bush came down, but there are still many winding honeysuckle tendrils along the edge of our property that do attract hummingbirds occasionally. I have seen one on that this year after many years of no hummingbirds. To be fair, the honeysuckle that is on the property is not native and probably considered invasive.

I am planning my next project: A hummingbird hospitality center

I have tried the little hanging nectar tubes, but they were not interested, and being in Florida, I had to contend with ants and mold, so I gave that project up. My folks in Illinois are quite successful with their hanging feeder; I think they have my Dad trained to feed them when they perch on the window and look in. I prefer to do mine the natural way. The cardinals are already demanding enough.

This is something like the one that my folks have:

Firebush image by Louis R Nugent

My plan is to plant a native hummingbird garden somewhere in the yard where I can see it and they won’t feel threatened by the house or the dog.

Here are some of the native Florida plants that I am considering:

Firebush, Hamelia patens – We have one plant in the yard, but I want to put more in a concentrated area.
Coral honeysuckle, Lonicera sempervirens – These are vines, so I can't pot them.
Coralbean, Erythrina herbacea – We have a couple of these scattered over the property, but I would like to put them in a concentrated area.
Tropical Sage, Salvia coccinea – I have blue Salvia that is great for butterflies, but if you haven’t noticed, hummingbirds seem to love red!
Cardinalflower, Lobelia cardinalis - These plants spike up to 6 feet, but they don't vine, so they would be great in a pot.

Other plants that we already have include bottlebrush, cigar flower, red buckeye and more. They are not in one place, so it makes it hard to see if there are any hummingbirds on them since they are nested in with other plants and away from the house.

The project for the summer is to build a hummingbird section in the yard, so I will be ready for them as they migrate back this way at the end of the year.

Interested in building your own hummingbird hospitality center? Here are some books that might get you started.

Here is the same book, but instead of paperback, it is in eformat in the Kindle section of Amazon. It is currently in the Kindle Unlimited section, which means you can read for free!

Here are some of my hummingbird handmade products for you to enjoy.

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Not all Weeds are Weeds

1/18/2023

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Zebra longwing on a jatropha plant.

By looking around at my yard, you would think that every plant in it is a weed, but I learned something really important when preparing this post: some of my weeds are butterfly host plants.

As you know, I have been courting monarchs for a year with lots of yummy milkweed plants, but my yard is also home to a large selection of other butterflies like the zebra butterfly, the Gulf Fritillary butterfly, four species of swallowtails, the cloudless Sulphur, painted lady butterfly, and the American lady butterfly.

I discovered that one of the weeds that I had been removing was a cudweed, also known as a Pennsylvania Everlasting. It is not from Pennsylvania nor is it a native plant, but it is the host plant to the American lady butterfly, which explains why I have so many of them in the yard. As I read up further on the American lady butterfly, I realized that I have seen the caterpillars on the porch.

I thought I would dig a little deeper into my butterflies and find out what plant they used as hosts. Here is what I found:

Zebra longwing butterfly – These pretty little butterflies are the Florida State butterfly and love my jatropha bush in the backyard, but they lay their eggs on the purple passionflower. While I don’t have any passionflower in my yard, I know where I can get a plant or two. It just seems like these butterflies are so prevalent that they don’t need my help to procreate.

Gulf Fritillary – The Gulf Fritillary also enjoy the passionflower and passion vine as a host, but they are attracted to nectar plants like lantana, zinnias, asters, verbena, butterfly bushes, and thistle.

Swallowtails – I have black swallowtails, and they use carrots, parsley, dill, fennel, and Queen Anne’s lace as their host plants. I did plant some dill and parsley last year to give them a place to lay their eggs, but I have not seen a cat yet. The giant swallowtail likes wild lime and other citrus trees. The spicebush and pipevine swallowtail are both named for their host plants, and all of the swallowtails love nectar plants like pentas, zinnias, and lantana.

Cloudless Sulphur – This pretty yellow butterfly uses the Senna plant as its host. If they feed on the yellow flowers of a cassia plant, they will turn bright yellow. They enjoy coneflowers, too.

Painted Lady – The Painted Lady butterfly looks a lot like the American lady butterfly, but it has four eyes on each wing while the American lady has two. The American lady also has a white spot on their top wings in a sea of orange. The Painted Lady lay their eggs on thistles and mallow family plants. They munch on asters, as long as they are 3 or more feet tall.

Every year, a migration of white butterflies heads our way from South Florida, and this year, I will make sure that they have a lot of lantana and other nectar plants to enjoy. We do get them to stop over here, but I will do what I can to make it an even tastier stop this year.

Not all straggly-looking plants are weeds; some are a very important stopover for butterflies.

Passionflower host plant.

Since butterflies are crucial to our world's make up, it is never too late to teach children and adults about the butterflies in their world. Here are a couple of recommended books for the young at heart.

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Are Aphids Good for Your Garden?

1/4/2023

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Aphids! What the heck?

Aphids come in a few colors, but the ones that have infested my milkweed are bright yellow. They can also be brown, black or red. Since they are a pest, I insisted on getting rid of them on sight when they first appeared as a yellow blanket all over my milkweed. I have changed my mind since then. After a lot of reading, I have come to understand that the aphid is the base meal of other beneficial beasties in the garden. However, that doesn’t mean let them infest your garden!

These little creatures suck the sap out of your plants, so their ultimate goal is to kill your plant. The good thing about them is that they do attract the ladybugs, a type of beetle, who are pest eaters in their own right. A ladybug can eat over 5,000 insects in their little life according to experts. Lacewing flies also like to munch on aphids. Both of these insects act as natural pesticides.

If you’re growing milkweed like I am, then you don’t want to use pesticides on the plants to kill the aphids on it. I do use a soap and water mixture to destroy aphids when they get to be too bad, but you can also kill the monarch eggs if you’re not careful. A good dousing with the water hose will do the trick, too.

I find that the best way to get rid of an abundance of aphids is to wet a paper towel and gently wipe down the leaves and stalks of the plants. The aphids are very delicate, so it is very easy to kill them.

Or, you could just let nature take its course and the next thing you will see is an army of these lizard-like things marching across your plant in search of aphids. These are baby ladybugs that look like tiny alligators before they mature into the cute red and black beetles we know and love.

Did you know you could buy ladybugs? Your local nursery may have them for sale in little containers like the ones we got earthworms in when we were kids. Or, they may be in bags like these from Amazon.

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

Lacewing flies are not quite as voracious as the ladybug, but they do their own housekeeping. I have noticed that they are inclined to be around my flowering plant aphids as opposed to the milkweed aphids. The aphids are a bit different, so that may be why the lacewing flies are more inclined to hang out by my potted flowers.

Are aphids, good or bad for your garden? If they are not hurting your plants, and there are only a few of them, why not wait for the ladybugs to show up and lay eggs? You can observe another cycle of life while knowing that your plants are safe.

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

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Merry Christmas from Florida

12/21/2022

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We do things a bit different here in Florida. Like decorate palm trees. Merry Christmas to all and remember, Jimmy Buffet was born on December 25th, so happy birthday, Jimmy.

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Poisonous Plants to Avoid in Florida Landscaping

12/7/2022

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Like animals and bugs, the plants in Florida serve only one purpose; that is to kill you. Not just you, but your pets, too. Yet, we plant them in our gardens and use them in the city parks.

Oleanders – deadly poisonous native of the Mediterranean;
Castor Bean – a native of Africa that produces ricin;
Rosary Pea – a native from the Old World (wherever THAT is) that produces abrin;
Gloriosa Lily – a native of Africa that produces several toxic compounds like alkaloid colchicine;
King Sago – a poisonous cycad from Japan that produces BMAA and cycasin;
Spotted Water Hemlock – a member of the carrot family that produces nerve poisons

When you create your garden, use native plants for a more balanced yard that attracts pollinators and birds.

Here are some that are in my yard:

American Beautyberry
Azalea
Black-eyed Susan
Blazing Star
Coral Honeysuckle
Elliott’s Aster
Scarlet Salvia
Tickseed

If you want to read more on setting up a native landscape, here are some books that I suggest:

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

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How We Celebrate Thanksgiving in Florida

11/23/2022

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Just a quick post today. Happy Thanksgiving!

We don't have the advantage of the cold weather here in Florida to help us truly celebrate Thanksgiving, but we try. I remember needing to crack the window because the oven would fog up the house windows when we cooked the turkey. Here, we put the air on because usually November is still a warm month.

Right now, I have a whole batch of homemade egg noodles drying on the back sunporch because the humidity here is so high most of the time, I only get a couple days to make noodles a year. They will be our Thanksgiving dinner of beef and noodles, which is a favorite, but again, not many days where we want to eat something so warm and toasty that we need to move the thermostat to 62.

After we eat, we walk the beach because we're fat and sand is hard to walk in. We also go to the movies or bowling. The one thing we don't do is shovel snow on the walk or try to get our car out of a drift.

I want to share a photo that I took of our pine tree in the front yard. These guys came for dinner and were patiently waiting for me to serve it.

Whatever you do, don't forget to do your Black Friday/Cyber Monday shopping! Amazon has amazing deals for you. You don't even have to get dressed, and after a day of eating, you might not want to. Check out these cool deals:

We spend our holiday playing board games, and these classics are on sale!

Grab some board games like Monopoly and Yahtzee - on sale 40% OFF

Doing any bullet journaling for 2023? These colorful markers are 20% OFF
If you purchase something after clicking any of these links, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

60% OFF this unicorns and llamas Monopoly set - who knew there was even such a thing?

Happy Thanksgiving from my home to yours!

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How We Know the Snowbirds are Back

11/9/2022

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Every year, we can tell the seasons here in Florida by the color of the license plates. One of the local journalists who wrote a column for a newspaper that is now just a messy part of a conglomerate used to do license plate sightings.

He has moved on to his own publication, but I think of him every fall. This year, we’re facing a hurricane – like tomorrow – so maybe our snow birds will be a little less eager to come visit. (If you need a refresher course on how to read a hurricane map, see this blog post.)

These hurricane supplies might be a little late for the big blow tomorrow, but you could keep them on hand for the next one. Or maybe Prime will deliver in the middle of driving rain ...

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

These are the ways we know the snowbirds are back:

The license plate bingo game is in full swing.
The lines are longer at the coffee shop.
The traffic gets a little heavier around the grocery store.
In the case of a hurricane, people are buying nonsensical items like all the pudding.
The grocery store shelves are starting to look a little sparse between stockings.
There are cars randomly changing lanes and then stopping in the road.
There are long lines at the local Mexican restaurant.
Horns honk. At us.
There are a lot of sunburned bodies milling about.
There are a lot of white arms and legs.

Yes, we’re seeing a smattering of Northeast license plates, and you people from Connecticut, I will remember how you beeped at me for no apparent reason while I was visiting your state last month. Expect the honk to be returned accordingly.

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What's Blooming in Florida?

10/26/2022

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Check out the latest plants and flowers blooming in Florida this month! I have lots of non-native flowers that are taking off, but I don't have these plants. What I do have is these plants! And, now I have hummingbirds :)

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

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Don't Feed the Seagulls

10/12/2022

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Now that the snowbirds and tourists are starting to flock to Florida for the winter, here are a few tips on how to tell them from the residents:

They drive with their blinker on. Always.
They drive 5 M.P.H. no matter what the posted limit as they search for wherever they were going.
They spend a lot of time looking up. The sky is blue and the trees are green.
They wear plaid shorts, sandals and black socks. You know who you are.
They pay for everything with change from the center console. One penny at a time.
They feed seagulls. What is wrong with you?

Okay, I admit, I just committed over half of these things on the list while meandering around New England. I didn’t know where I was most of the time; I slowed down to see if that helped me figure out where I was, and I had my blinker on a lot. I found out that Connecticut residents were the friendliest! They honk and wave a lot!

I also paid for things with the change piling up in the center console. But, I never, ever fed the seagulls.

One of the first lessons I learned in Florida 35-plus years ago was that you don’t feed the seagulls. Not because they aren’t appreciative, but because that’s a sure way to reenact a scene right out of Hitchcock’s The Birds.

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

Seagulls have an uncanny way of knowing when you might accidentally drop a small crumb onto the sand. They are not shy about telling all of their friends, either. If you see one seagull, there are millions more just waiting.

I remember sitting on the boardwalk enjoying the ocean and marveling at my surroundings when I saw some people walking on the beach. I don’t know who started it, but someone tossed something out for one seagull. One thousand showed up. They screamed. They dove. They fought. And they pooped. People were running for cover while keeping their arms over their heads.

It was awesome.

You have to watch those birds at all times, and even when you don’t see them coming, they can swoop in fast and furious. I watched them steal pepperoni off of a piece of pizza the size of a travel brochure. He dove down, snatched the pepperoni on the pizza slice, and was gone before my son could even get the food halfway to his mouth.

Busch Gardens was up close and personal in those days.

Feed them if you like, but remember what Hitchcock said:

Melanie Daniels: Oh Daddy, there were hundreds of them... Just now, not fifteen minutes ago... at the school... the birds didn't attack until the children were outside the school... crows, I think... Oh, I don't know, Daddy, is there a difference between crows and blackbirds?... I think these were crows, hundreds of them... Yes, they attacked the children. Attacked them!

Mrs. Bundy: There is very definitely a difference, Miss... They're both perching birds, of course, but quite different species... I would hardly think that either species would have sufficient intelligence to launch a massed attack. Their brain pans are not big enough... Birds are not aggressive creatures, Miss. They bring beauty into the world. It is mankind, rather... It is mankind, rather, who insists upon making it difficult for life to exist on this planet. Now if it were not for birds...

Deke Carter: Mrs. Bundy, you don't seem to understand. This young lady said there was an attack on the school.

Mrs. Bundy: Impossible!

Melanie Daniels: Mitch? Oh I'm glad I caught you. Something terrible...

Drunk: 'It's the end of the world.' Thus sayeth the Lord God unto the mountains and the hills, and the rivers and the valleys. Behold I, even I shall bring a sword upon ya. And I will devastate your high places. Ezekiel, chapter six.

Waitress: Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning that they may follow strong drink.
Drunk: Isaiah, chapter five. It's the end of the world.

Mrs. Bundy: I hardly think a few birds are going to bring about the end of the world.

Melanie Daniels: These weren't a few birds.

Deke Carter: I didn't know there were many crows in Bodega Bay this time of year.

Mrs. Bundy: The crow is a permanent resident throughout his range. In fact, during our Christmas count, we recorded...

Sebastian Sholes: How many gulls did you count, Mrs. Bundy?... The ones that have been playing devil with my fishing boats... Oh, a flock of gulls nearly capsized one of my boats. Practically tore the skipper's arm off.

Mrs. Bundy: The gulls went after your fish, Mr. Sholes. Really - let's be logical about this.

Melanie Daniels: I think they were after the children...to kill them.

Mrs. Bundy: Birds have been on this planet, Miss Daniels, since Archaeopteryx, a hundred and forty million years ago. Doesn't it seem odd that they'd wait all that time to start a...a war against humanity.

Salesman: Your captain should have shot at them... Gulls are scavengers anyway. Most birds are. Get yourselves guns and wipe them off the face of the earth.

Mrs. Bundy: That would hardly be possible... Because there are eight thousand, six hundred and fifty species of birds in the world today, Mr. Carter. It is estimated that five billion, seven hundred and fifty million birds live in the United States alone. The five continents of the world...

Salesman: Kill 'em all. Get rid of them. Messy animals.

Mrs. Bundy: ...probably contain more than a hundred billion birds.

Drunk: It's the end of the world.

Sebastian Sholes: Those gulls must have been after the fish.

Mrs. Bundy: Of course.

Boy: Are the birds gonna eat us, Mommy?

Mrs. Bundy: The very concept is unimaginable. Why, if that happened, we wouldn't have a chance! How could we possibly hope to fight them?

Want to see more Hitchcock? Here's a link to all of his movies on Amazon.

If you purchase something after clicking this link, I might earn a few pennies from the purchase. Thank you!

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Living with Gopher Tortoises

9/28/2022

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When you live in Florida, you share your home, garden and yard with an array of animals, reptiles, birds, butterflies and bees. If you garden or build flower beds, you’re inviting many flying, chirping and stinging creatures into your world. If that’s the goal, then good for you if they show up. If that’s not the goal, you might want to rethink your outdoor plants.

My yard has played host to a lot of creatures over the years. We’ve had visiting foxes, peacocks, bobcats, hawks, eagles, buzzards and even a panther. We don’t have that big of a yard! Apparently, it’s just the right size for these wandering animals to stop and have look around for something to eat.

While most of the animals, insects and birds are common, we have our share of protected species, too. The panther for example is a protected species, and when I call the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, they told me that there were no panthers in my area. I begged to differ, and I had plenty of witnesses, but FWC would not be moved to believe. As for me, my family, the neighbors and the dog, we believed.

Another protected species can be found in a pile of sand. Probably right in the middle of your yard. This is a good sign that a gopher tortoise has found your yard to be the most suitable place in the world to live regardless of what you think. The problem with these guys digging is that their holes are massive, and they leave this huge pile of sand in their wake. They are aggressive diggers and can dig faster than a kid can plow through a birthday cake with the same degree of wreckage in its wake.

Our yard has been home to a few of these huge creatures over the years, but lately, we’ve only had one that has been using our yard as a freeway between burrows and whatever the great delicacy is in the yard a few feet over. He’s been crawling under our fence to get to wherever it is that he goes. Sometimes, his freeway becomes the neighbor’s chickens escape route.

Because they are endangered, there is no remedy to the landscaping they do. You can’t fill the holes in because apparently, those holes are home to a host of other animals and birds like burrowing owls and rattlesnakes. And 350 other species of animals. Owls, yes. Rattlesnakes, no.

According to the FWC, we can apply for Gopher Tortoise Friendly Yard recognition and get a sign. I don’t think I want his friends to bring more friends to the yard.

Since our tortoise passes through the yard, we enjoy his visits. Sometimes, he comes up on the front porch and noses around, but mostly, he’s headed somewhere else, so he’s less destructive than most.

If you’d like to learn more about the gopher tortoise, here’s a great link to the FWC’s website section on these big tortoises. https://myfwc.com/license/wildlife/gopher-tortoise-permits/