Palm Beach County Department of Environmental Resources Management

10/31/2026

Happy Halloween!
To celebrate we offer you images of one of Mother Nature’s most boo-tiful creations – spider webs. To create these masterpieces, spiders produce spider silk which is pulled from external abdominal organs called spinnerets. This astonishing substance is composed of flexible protein fibers that are responsible for its incredible strength and elasticity. Spider silk has a tensile strength greater than steel and is more elastic than nylon. Add in the geometric web structure, white zig-zag patterns and occasional sparkly dewdrops and you have what even the most ardent spider haters have to admit is a thing of beauty. Visit your local Palm Beach County natural area to see this amazing web work for yourself. Learn more at pbcnaturalareas.com.

Alt Text: various photos of spiders and spider webs at Palm Beach County natural areas.

10/30/2026

Humdinger Hummingbirds – Part 2
When is a hummingbird not a hummingbird? When it is a hummingbird moth! Meet the white-lined sphinx moth (Hyles lineata). This is a large moth, with a wingspan of up to three inches. Since a white-lined sphinx moth can hover in flight and feeds on flower nectar, its nickname the hummingbird moth makes sense. As a caterpillar, it has another nickname – hornworm. That is due to the small horn found on the last segment of the body. When the caterpillar is ready to pupate (transform into an adult) it burrows into the soil. Learn more about this moth at the Florida Wildflower Foundation website: https://www.flawildflowers.org/know-your-native-pollinators-white-lined-sphinx-moth/.

White-lined sphinx moth adults photographed at Seacrest Scrub and Juno Dunes natural areas. White-lined sphinx moth caterpillar photographed at Seacrest Scrub Natural Area.

10/29/2026

𝐋𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐧𝐅𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐂𝐀𝐍𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐋𝐄𝐃

Out of an abundance of caution, LagoonFest has been canceled due to forecasted conditions that could affect the event area, including the potential for elevated water levels and localized flooding associated with king tides.

While impacts are expected to be limited, the safety of attendees, volunteers, exhibitors, and staff remains the top priority.

The event will not be rescheduled this year and we appreciate the community’s understanding.

We hope to see you NEXT YEAR on Saturday, November 6th 2027!

10/29/2026

Humdinger Hummingbirds – Part 1
A female rufous hummingbird checks out a firebush flower at Seacrest Scrub Natural Area in Boynton Beach. These tiny flying jewels – just three inches long and weighing as little as a penny – travel all the way from Alaska/western Canada to spend winter in Florida. Mature males are bright orange on the back and belly with a vivid iridescent reddish-brown throat. Females are greenish above with rusty-washed flanks and rusty patches on a green tail.

According to allaboutbirds.org, rufous hummingbirds have excellent location recall, helping them find food sources (flowers or feeders) from day to day, or even year to year. Department staff have seen a female rufous hummingbird feeding at Seacrest Scrub Natural Area for the past three years. Maybe it is the same one? Learn more about these fascinating birds here: https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/publication/UW059.

10/28/2026

VOLUNTEERS IN ACTION
On October 28, 2026, a group of nine volunteers spent several hours removing trash and doing a little pollinator garden refurbishment at Yamato Scrub Natural Area in Boca Raton. The first job, tidy up a pollinator garden Eagle project that was getting a bit overgrown with w**ds. American beautyberry, passionflower and wild coffee plants were planted six months ago. Unfortunately, the w**ds grew faster than the plants. Volunteers removed the overgrowth and used downed palm fronds found in the parking lot to create a mulch layer to inhibit future w**d growth. Then it was time to do some trash pickup. The group removed bottles, cans and fast-food containers as they walked through the woods and along the natural area’s border with NW 6th Ave. Thank you, volunteers, for working so hard to keep Yamato Scrub Natural Area clean and green!

Alt Text: Various photos of volunteers removing w**ds, hauling palm fronds and removing trash.

10/27/2026

10/27/2026

Did you know that you can help make Pondhawk Natural Area a 2027 South Florida Favorite? Presented by the South Florida Sun Sentinel, South Florida Favorites is a contest designed to engage the region in celebrating the places, restaurants and local businesses we love. You can vote once each day now through 11/13 at 5 pm. Head over to votesouthflorida.com, click on Stay & Play, then click on Outdoor Attraction, scroll down and vote for Pondhawk Natural Area.

Pondhawk Natural Area, a 79-acre Palm Beach County Natural Area, is adjacent to the Boca Raton Public Library - Spanish River Branch at 1501 NW Spanish River Blvd. The natural area protects slash pine woods and Florida scrub habitat. A restored 8-acre wetland full of sawgrass attracts ducks, wading birds and hawks. There are more than two miles of trails (paved and unpaved) to explore. Visit pbcnaturalareas.com for more information about Pondhawk Natural Area.

10/26/2026

It's Warbler Season!
The fall bird migration is in full swing. Visitors to Palm Beach County natural areas may come across petite birds that flit about as if they just drank six cups of coffee. That is a most accurate description of warblers in action. Whether it’s Black-Throated Blue Warblers, Cape May Warblers, Yellow-Throated Warblers or Northern Parulas – these small birds (typically five inches long) are a challenge to observe and photograph. However, one can’t help but enjoy their antics as they move from tree to shrub and back to tree in search of a meal. Plan your next warbler watch party by visiting www.pbcnaturalareas.com.

Want to learn more about the birds traveling through our area during the fall migration? Visit Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s Bird Cast Migration Dashboard for Palm Beach County, Florida - https://dashboard.birdcast.org/region/US-FL-099 - to see how many birds crossed the county in one night and the most common nocturnal migrants.

10/26/2026

LAGOONFEST 2026 map & event highlights!

𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐜𝐞𝐥𝐞𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐋𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐖𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐡 𝐋𝐚𝐠𝐨𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐅𝐑𝐄𝐄 𝐟𝐚𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐚𝐥 𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐜𝐭𝐨𝐛𝐞𝐫 𝟑𝟏𝐬𝐭, 𝟐𝟎𝟐𝟔!

📅 WHEN: Saturday, October 31 | 8:30am - 2:00pm

📍WHERE: West Palm Beach Waterfront right next to the Green Market

𓇼 100+ exhibitors • touch tanks • live animals

𓇼 FREE Kids Zone (face painting, mascots, shell hunts & more!)

𓇼 Guided boat tours & a shark research vessel tour 🦈

𓇼 Giveaways including 2027 Lagoon calendars, art prints & our 13th annual tote bags!

Mark your calendars, bring the family and connect with the Lagoon like never before.

Learn more at lagoonfest.com

10/25/2026

Introducing a native Florida plant with an unusual name - Feay's palafox. It grows in well-drained sandy uplands (scrub habitat) in the southern two-thirds of Florida. Feay's palafox has a wand-like stalk, which can reach heights of six feet or more. These stalks become almost wood-like - keeping the plant upright instead of flopping over. The flowers, white with red ends and hook-like structures, bloom spring to fall. All those flowers attract pollinators – butterflies, bees, flies and beetles. Those pollinators attract predators – like green lynx spiders. Who knew so much action can happen atop a flower blossom! If you want to see this beauty for yourself, take a stroll through Delaware Scrub, Jupiter Ridge, Juno Dunes, High Ridge Scrub, Hypoluxo Scrub, Seacrest Scrub, Yamato Scrub or Pondhawk Natural Areas. Visit pbcnaturalareas.com for information about these Palm Beach County natural areas.