Duncan’s Digest – Storm Ready Atlantic Hurricane season is just around the corner – beginning on June 1. The Old Farmer’s Almanac advises us to watch for tropical storm threats in mid-May, predicts a rainy summer and forecasts the possibility of hurricanes in September. Colorado State University’s Tropical Meteorology study was recently released and […]
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One of the most majestic trees of the South The huge old Florida live oaks (Quercus virginiana) draped in Spanish moss, are among the most magnificently beautiful trees. Standing forty to fifty feet in height, they grow in a variety of soils. These long-lived, pest-free trees are among our most valuable and historic shade […]
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The Pileated Woodpecker, (Melanerpes carolinus) is the largest and most famous of Florida’s seven woodpeckers. It was the inspiration for the cartoon character Woody Woodpecker. A mature bird is fifteen to nineteen inches tall and weighs about twelve ounces. This woodpecker is easily identified by its bold black and white striped head and neck, […]
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The Cattle Egret (Bubulcus ibis), native to Africa and Asia, is believed to have traveled across the Atlantic to South America in the late 1800s. From there, it migrated north to the US in the early 1940s. Over the next fifty years, it became one of the most prolific herons in all of North America. […]
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A Unique Native Floridian The West Indian manatee, (Trichechus manatus), is found throughout Florida’s shallow, slow-moving rivers, estuaries, saltwater bays and coastal areas. This large aquatic mammal with its innocent looking face reaches ten feet in length and weighs more than a thousand pounds. It has two flippers and a round elongated body that […]
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Mile-long canal connects Lakes Eustis and Dora The Dora Canal, originally known as the Elfin River, was once home to the Timucuan Indians, followed by French, Spanish and British settlers. In the late 1800s the waterway was dredged out and widened to accommodate easier passage of small steamboats and subsequently became known as the […]
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A subspecies of the western cougar The Florida panther (Felis concolor corti) was first listed as an endangered species in 1973 and protected by both state and federal laws. These large, tawny-colored, long-tailed, elusive cats average 80-130 pounds. They are reported to live about twelve years in the wild. These large cats are mostly […]
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Scary looking, but few are dangerous to humans Spiders are arachnids, pronounced uh-rack-nids. There are reported to be more than 45,000 species worldwide and 1,200 in the U.S. Florida certainly has its fair share. While most species are never seen by humans, there are 29 that are common. The largest, sometimes called the […]
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Salty Lightfoot Crab Colorful, feisty crab lives and hunts in rock crevices The Salty Lightfoot crab, (Grapsus grapsus) also called the red rock crab, is found on rocky beaches in the Americas on both the Atlantic and Pacific coastlines. It is a common crab on the Galapagos and along the Atlantic coast of Africa. […]
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On finding an injured, or orphaned wild animal First, determine if help is really needed. In the spring it is common to see baby wild animals or birds that may appear to be in need of assistance. Most often it is being well cared for by a parent who may be hunting for food, […]
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