‘TIS THE SEASON FOR FLORIDA STRAWBERRIES

By Kathy L. Collins

cakes and milkshakes. You can get a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables throughout the year.

Goodson Farms is located at 12405 County Rd. 672 in Wimauma. It is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Strawberries are grown and harvested on-site. It, too, offers a variety of treats such as strawberry shortcakes only during strawberry season.

Eastern Hillsborough County is the epicenter of Strawberry Season. Now through the middle to end of March is the time to get and enjoy the ripest and sweetest strawberries grown right here in our own backyard.

Several local producers and farmers offer roadside stands that are the perfect spots to pick up some of those delicious berries. Strawberry season runs from late December to mid-March and culminates with the annual Strawberry Festival in Plant City.

Now is the time to get fresh, ripe, delicious and locally grown strawberries. Te farms are abundant in the area as are the produce markets where you can get the strawberries now through mid-March.

Crossroads Produce is located at 10463 County Rd. 39 in Lithia. It is open Monday through Friday from 10 a.m.-7 p.m. and from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday. Crossroads Produce is open yearround and offers fruits, vegetables, pickled items and boiled peanuts along with flowers and plants.

The Berry Barn , located at 3931 SR 60 in Dover, is an operating strawberry farm and the place to get fresh strawberries along with other fruits, vegetables and raw honey. The Berry Barn has a kitchen that offers up strawberry milkshakes, strawberry shortcakes and more. It is open daily from 10 a.m.-5:30 p.m. and only accepts cash. The Berry Barn is open from January through March.

Parkesdale Market is located at 3702 W. Baker St. in Plant City. It is open daily from 9 a.m.-6 p.m. during strawberry season. Strawberries are grown on its farm. In addition, it offers its world-famous strawberry short -

The Market at St. Martin’s Farm is located at 4802 James Redman Blvd. in Plant City. The strawberries are grown on its fields. It is open 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily. The Market at St. Martin’s Farm is open throughout the year and offers a delightful assortment of seasonal fruits and vegetables.

Lott’s First Choice Family Farms is located at 804 SR 60 W. in Plant City. It was established in 1949 and are open seven days a week from 8 a.m.-6:30 p.m.

Wolfe’s Produce Market is located at 6005 U.S. Hwy. 301 S. in Riverview. It is open Monday to Saturday from 9 a.m.-7 p.m. and from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. on Sunday. Wolfe’s is open year-round and offers a delightful selection of fruits and vegetables in addition to the seasonal strawberries.

If it looks like a duck, swims like a duck and quacks like a duck, then it probably is a duck. In this case, we are talking about the hooded merganser, a water duck that is part of the scientific family Anatidae, which are closely related to geese and swans. Uniquely characterized by their eye-catching features, it is almost impossible to miss this small, migratory bird swimming in our ponds a couple of times a year.

The male hooded merganser is striking with his jet-black face and piercing, golden eyes topped of with his glorious white crest, or hood, sitting proudly atop his head. Females also share this distinct hood-like crest, though they lack the vibrant coloring of the males in favor of a more muted rusty/cinnamon coloring.

These ducks are the second smallest of the merganser family and are migratory visitors to the state of Florida. In fact, the hooded mergansers rarely, if ever, breed within state lines. Hooded mergansers arrive in Florida in the fall, usually around late September, where they strategically spend their winters inhabiting our lakes and ponds until they leave again at the end of spring. Most of their time here is spent in small groups often observed gliding across the much warmer Florida fresh waters. Around April, they fly back to their native states, which span across North America and beyond, as they are highly adaptable and successfully distrib- uted birds. Hooded Mergansers have a simple diet that consists primarily of freshwater fish. They also eat crayfish and insects. The hooded mergansers hunt by diving under the surface of the water to catch their meals, relying mostly on their keen eyesight. Interestingly, these ducks have an added advantage that aids in this endeavor called a nictitating membrane (or transparent eyelid), which acts as a shield for their eyes underwater, similar to goggles. It is also helpful that they are fitted with thin but sharp, serrated bills which help them hold onto their prey.

The word ‘merganser’ is Greek-derived and literally translates to ‘diving goose,’ though they are actually ducks. Hooded mergansers are cavity-dwelling ducks and often make nests in empty trees or logs. When they are not found swimming, they are often resting in their cavity dwellings.

These interesting freshwater ducks are a sight to behold. Be sure to look for them during our winter months and see why they are one of my favorite species to spot in our ever-wild Florida.

LITTLE GEMS OF RIVERVIEW: ALAFIA SCRUB PRESERVE PARK

During my time, as Miss Riverview USA, I’d like to feature the things I love most about my community.

Riverview and its surrounding areas are constantly growing, and we often forget about the small businesses, nonprofits and little hidden treasures.

One of my favorite places to take my energetic pups is the Alafia Scrub Preserve Park. Located at 10243 Elbow Bend Rd. in Riverview, it is quiet, a flat trail and the perfect place to get out, enjoy nature and take the dogs. The preserve is 80 acres and includes walking trails, a scenic overlook of the Alafia River and so much wildlife to see. There is also a 0.8-mile loop and a 1.3mile loop. The park is open from sunrise to sunset. Dogs are allowed on leash and there is a table for enjoying a picnic if you’d like. Make sure to bring water, wear sunscreen, wear closed-toed shoes and stay on marked trails. Maps can also be printed or viewed online to follow along the trail. Because the trail is flat, it makes for an easier hike and good for all ages.

According to the county website, Alafia Scrub Nature Preserve was purchased by Hillsborough County through the Jan K. Platt Environmental Lands Acquisition and Protection Program

Is Your Child Speaking Clearly?

By Sara Battaglia

(ELAPP) in 1998.

ELAPP is a voluntary program established for the purpose of providing the process and funding for identifying, acquiring, preserving and protecting endangered, environmentally sensitive and significant lands in Hillsborough County. It is a citizen-based program with volunteer committees involved in every key aspect of the program. In addition to Alafia Scrub Preserve Park, Hillsborough County has many scrub and nature preserves, a total of 63,000 acres, through the ELAPP program. These preserves improve air quality, provide flood protection and naturally filter water. They also provide hiking trails, horseback and biking trails, canoeing/kayaking, bird watching, fishing, playgrounds and more.

Most of the parks have a $2 parking fee. Trails vary in size and difficulty. A full map of the 28 preserves can be found at www.hillsboroughcounty.org/ en/residents/recreation-and-culture/ parks. With the weather cooling down, now is a great time to get outside and enjoy nature. For more information on the Alafia Scrub Preserve Park or a preserve map, visit www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/locations/alafia-scrub-nature-preserve.

What cold few days in January to start the new year of. These cold fronts have really chilled the water down in the Tampa Bay, and the target fish showed how cold it was by shutting down, being very difcult to catch. A good thing about the water temperature drop is that the sheepshead are filling the coolers this year.

Sheepshead are found almost everywhere in the bay and residential canals right now. Shrimp and crabs give you a great bite for the convict fish. A 1/0 or #1 circle hook with just enough weight to keep the bait on the bottom is the favored approach.

Captain Gavin O’Neil has really been putting the smackdown on some good numbers of quality sheepshead this January for his clients. O’Neil is a local guide with many years of experience, as he has grown up in this area. He runs a great charter for his clients and really shows them an amazing time. He has been locating many of his fish around dock pilings and rocky drop-ofs in the shipping channels, fishing with shrimp and #1 hooks.

BY MICHAEL MURPHY

GET THE DIRT: BUY WHAT SURVIVED … AND OTHER ALTERNATIVES

BY LYNN BARBER, FLORIDA-FRIENDLY LANDSCAPING™ AGENT

Check out O’Neil and book a trip for Apollo Beach Fishing Charters. Call 813-4180225 or email at gavinoneil@gmail.com.

Trout bite has been a little hit and miss, but key in on any remaining grass beds and drop-ofs in residential canals. Shrimp will be the go-to bait in the winter times. Medium to large shrimp rigged with either a bobber or freelined in these areas may reward you with some tasty trout for dinner.

Many anglers are finding hogfish in nearshore ledges out of Egmont. Small weights to get down and small to medium shrimp are the best approaches to getting the bite. Some of these fish are getting quite large, so be prepared for a wonderful fight followed by an excellent dinner. Hogfish are quite the delicacy and, once located, are a great target in nearshore ledges in 40 to 60 feet of water this time of year.

Gag grouper are closed at this time, but the red grouper is open and located in very similar locations as the hogfish. Hand-sized pinfish are the best choice for grouper and a little stouter fishing pole.

How many of your favorite plants were damaged by frost or freeze this winter?

What were those plants? Were they tropical plants established in the ground and not suited for our zone, which is 9b? They could have been plants suited for our zone but were not the right plant in the right place.

Microclimates exist in our landscapes, so one plant may survive in a certain place and in another location the same type of plant may not.

I’ve witnessed and been told about the demise of several tropical plants in Hillsborough County that are suited for more temperate zones than ours. Some include Poinciana, Mussaenda, Christmas palm and Jacaranda. My firebushes look horrible, but once pruned after the last chance of frost/freeze, they will come back quickly.

What can you do to increase the number of surviving plants? Here are a few tips:

1. Buy and plant what survived. In my landscape and ours at the Extension office, some survivors include Bulbine, Liriope, ground orchid, coontie and St. Bernard’s lily. This, however, depends on the location.

2. Repeat your successes.

3. Do not repeat your failures … unless you have a lot of time and money and little to do with either.

4. If you must have tropicals suited for warmer zones, plant them in a pot placed on a plant coaster with wheels so you can move them inside easily. You can also grow tropicals on your lanai or front porch in pots and move them closer to the house in colder weather. Planting tropicals under mature trees can protect them from frost damage.

5. Can’t live without orchids? Buy a hanging clothes rack or garden cart with wheels. Load the plants on the rack or into the cart, then wheel them inside your garage, which can easily be 10-15 degrees warmer than the outside temperature.

6. Divide and share surviving plants with your friends and ask them to share theirs with you.

7. Order your own personal and free copy of The Florida-Friendly Landscaping™ Guide to Plant Selection & Landscape Design from the Southwest Florida Water Management District’s website. This is a great resource you will use time and time again to select appropriate plants for our zone. In this guide, we are in the central region of the state.

We hope you will stop by our teaching/ demonstration gardens at the Extension ofce to view our plant selections. You may want to wait another month or so first. Check out our calendar of events at http://hillsborough.ifas.ufl.edu/calendar. shtml.

For horticultural assistance, contact the UF/IFAS Extension Hillsborough County at 813-744-5519 or visit us at 5339 County Rd. 579 in Sefner. Contact Lynn Barber at labarber@ufl.edu.