Sorry the site hasn't been updated in a while. We have had a few hiccups that will be taken care of shortly!!

What if I told you that eating fish can help protect our Indian River Lagoon and adjacent offshore waters? Not just any fish though, the beautiful, exotic lionfish. They may be venomous, ferocious hunters, but they are also edible and delicious; in fact, they are grouper-like in taste.

Ask your questions here--just type Ask Izzy for the subject line--and I'll answer them here!

Mangroves, one of Florida’s true natives, are beyond doubt an extreme plant. With roots both buried in brackish water and in suffocating mud on land, you might consider them to be botanically amphibious in nature. Many live in the harsh environment of intertidal zones. They survive through fluctuating salinity, crashing waves, and intense heat. There are three different types of mangroves found in Florida: white, black, and red. The red mangrove (Rhizophora mangle) is best identified by its long roots that hang down into the water.

Florida is being invaded! The attackers are extremely adaptable, aggressive, and have high reproductive capacity. Invasive plants are altering our native plant communities by out-competing and killing our native plants. So far, 1.7 million acres of natural areas have been taken over. Some were introduced accidentally, while others were brought intentionally. Ornamentals, erosion control, and aquarium trade are all reasons that these invasive plants were intentionally brought here.

Imagine you are taking a walk around your neighborhood; you are on your way home when a gigantic beast picks you up. You are then released hundreds of miles from your home and now have to make the long and possibly dangerous trip back. You might consider that to be a very bad day. Well, many people that choose to help a gopher tortoise crossing the road do just this. So what is the best thing you can do to help? Well if you see a gopher tortoise crossing the road simply pick him up and help him cross safely in the direction he was traveling.

During one week late summer a few years ago I decided to grab my caste net and head down to Sebastian Inlet to see what I could find. As I was driving down A1A I ran into a traffic jam! The cause of this traffic jam; Giant Land Crabs! Tons of them were scattered across the road and most drivers were doing their best to avoid them. The Giant Land Crab, Cardisoma guanhumi, is usually spending time in its burrow, but in late summer through early fall, the female crab is making her way to the ocean to deposit her eggs.

Last summer I went on a sea turtle walk. It was a wonderful experience and I was lucky enough to witness a loggerhead lay her eggs on the beach. Nesting season started May 1st and goes till October 31st. There are three different species of sea turtles that use Florida’s coast line as their chosen nesting sight. The largest sea turtle, the leatherback, the green sea turtle, who got its name by the color of its fat tissue, and the loggerhead.