𝗙𝗹𝗼𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸𝘀𝘁𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘆! November 15, 2014

Click here to find a celebration near you and to submit your design for a special release poster based on our famous Florida book 𝘈 𝘓𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘮𝘦𝘮𝘣𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 by Patrick D. Smith.

The inaugural Florida Bookstore Day will be a day-long event celebrating independent and used bookstores, local authors and small presses in various cities throughout the Sunshine State.

Great Summer Reading on Florida’s Oceans

What better to read and learn about during summer than Florida’s Oceans!

This young adult book features the astonishing abundance of marine life found in Florida’s offshore waters. More than 1,000 species of saltwater fish have been identified. Add to that number the invertebrates, algae, grasses, seaweeds, plankton, and all of the other creatures that call the ocean home, and you’ll discover an amazing world of life surrounding you in Florida’s oceans.

Get it now at Amazon!

About the Author

A native Floridian, Peggy Lantz is former editor of the Florida Native Plant Society’s magazine, The Palmetto, and the Florida Audubon Society’s magazine, The Florida Naturalist. She co-authored The Young Naturalist’s Guide to Florida with Wendy Hale. Ms. Lantz lives in Woodsmere in west Orange County, Florida, the community settled by her grandfather in 1914. Wendy Hale worked as a park ranger for Canaveral National Seashore before joining the Florida Audubon Society as an environmental educator. She moved from Florida to Wales several years ago.

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

What is the most dangerous shark living in Florida waters?

bull shark

Photo: (Bull shark ( Carcharhinus leucas ), Gulf of Mexico, SEFSC Pascagoula Laboratory; Collection of Brandi Noble, NOAA/NMFS/SEFSC)

Question from The Florida Quiz Book by Hollee Temple

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

In what year was the Florida panther declared an endangered species?

1958

Photo: (State animal of Florida, a panther, State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/18772)

Question from The Florida Quiz Book by Hollee Temple

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

What is Florida’s state wildflower?

coreopsis

Photo: (Florida’s state wildflower is the coreopsis, designated by the 1970 legislature, State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/18773)

Question from The Florida Quiz Book by Hollee Temple

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

Is the water in the Everglades fresh water or salt water?

Fresh water

Photo: (Alligator basking in the sun in the Everglades – Everglades, Florida by Liddle, Thomas E., Jr., State Archives of Florida, Florida Memory, http://floridamemory.com/items/show/13484)

Question from The Florida Quiz Book by Hollee Temple

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

Withla, in Polk County is short for Withlacoochee. The name Withlacoochee comes from the Creek words we,”water,” thlako, “big,” and chee, “little,” or little big water.

Information from Florida Place Names by Allen Morris.

Photo: Some rights reserved by Chris Winters

 

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

Although the Gulf island on which the town of Cedar Key is located is called North Key, the name refers to the abundant growth of cedar trees which formerly covered all of the group of islands here. The town was established during the Civil War. Three pencil plants, formerly located here, were closed down when the cedar was depleted.

Information from Florida Place Names by Allen Morris.

Photo: Some rights reserved by fuzzcat

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

Did you know that the city of Pierson in Volusia County was established in 1876 by Peter Pierson and his family, who gave it their own name? The woodsy rural town calls itself “The Fern Capital of the World.”

Information from Florida Place Names by Allen Morris.

Photo: Some rights reserved by garryknight

Florida Facts: Did You Know?

Did You Know that El Jobean in Charlotte County was once known as Southland? But in 1924, during the great land boom the Spanish-sounding name El Jobean was substituted. In actuality, Joel Bean, a developer, twisted his name around to produce El Jobean.

Information from Florida Place Names by Allen Morris.

Photo: Some rights reserved by Don Johnson 395