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Category: AIYI

Are You Guilty of Crepe Murder?

By Harry Owens, horticulturist   There are horticultural atrocities taking place all over our city.  I start noticing it in the winter along roadsides, in front of businesses, and even in neighbors’ yards. The offense is the seasonal decapitation of crepe myrtles ( Lagerstroemia sp .), a practice that I un-affectionately refer to as “crepe murder.”  Crepe myrtles were introduced to the United States around 1790 in Charleston, South Carolina and have... Read More
Horticulture AIYI
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Meet the Magellanic Penguins

By Allison Liu, Bird Keeper   January and April are special months for some of our favorite birds here at the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens.  Earlier this year, we celebrated our Magellanic penguins on January 20 for Penguin Awareness Day. Now, we’ll be celebrating them again on April 25 for World Penguin Day! There are 18 different species of penguins, with most of them congregating in Antarctica. The Magellanic penguins are one of four of the coastal species of... Read More
AIYI
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2/25/21

Celebrating National Pig Day

  Photo by Jackie Schweigerdt, Mammal Keeper   By Allison Liu, Bird Keeper   Monday, March 1 is National Pig Day! Here at Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens we have three species of wild pigs in the family Suidae that will be celebrated. The first pigs you might see at our Zoo are the warthogs . Warthogs get their name from the thick protective pads (or “warts”) that appear on both sides of their head. These are used to defend their faces when... Read More
at 2/25/21
AIYI
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2/25/21

Help the Green Grass Grow

  By Jen Best, Horticulture Supervisor It’s that time of year when the warmer weather is drawing us out in the yard—and the lawn seems to be the first thing on the list of chores.  Here are few tips to save money and water on your lawn before the heat sets in.   Fertilizer First: Wait a month. Everyone gets the spring itch to get out in the yard and start spreading the love.  Studies are showing that lawns are still dormant in March, so you should... Read More
at 2/25/21
AIYI
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