Florida Spectacular

Send us your Florida questions!

Steve Barlow, a former US Fish and Wildlife Services wildlife biologist pilot and co-host Palm and Pine podcast, joins the podcast to talk about one of the least-known Florida critters.

Links We Mentioned

Native Tongue by Carl Hiaasen

Florida salt marsh vole

Florida bonneted bat

Podcast about fossils near Suwannee

Steve-Approved Bat House

Want a bat house Steve built? Reach out to him at [email protected] or buy one here.

Support the Palm and Pine on Patreon.

Top Places To See Bats and Bat Houses in Florida

Micanopy Post Office and ballfields

Water Works Park in Tampa

Newberry Road, west of Jonesville, at West End Animal Hospital

University of Florida bat houses

Image courtesy of U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Ryan Worthington grew up in Florida's State Parks and loves Florida's wild spaces. And he's the subject of an FWC investigation — but no one will tell him why.

Links We Mentioned

Craig Pittman's reporting on the secret investigation 

Ryan Worthington on Instagram

Ryan's Top Five Things To Do in and Near Green Cove Springs

1. Ocala National Forest — Salt Springs, Alexander Springs, Juniper Springs, Silver Glen Springs and others
2. Spring Park in Green Cove Springs
3. Payne's Prairie Preserve State Park — Rim Ramble Saturdays at 10 a.m. in cooler months
4. Big Talbot Island State Park
5. Safe Harbor Seafood (Take the ferry)
6. Odd Todd's Tacos in Salt Springs

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Jen Bannan, author of Tamiami Trail: Miami Stories, joins the podcast to talk about her book, Miami, and the Taimiami Trail.

Links We Mentioned

Jen Bannan's website

Monroe Station

Buy Tamiami Trail: Miami Stories

Support the podcast!

Five Things To Do in Miami that are Less "Miami"

Everglades National Park

The Pit BBQ

Vizcaya

La Carreta

Calle Ocho

Coral Gables Miracle Mile

The Biltmore

Crandon Park 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Rick and Cathy talk about what it costs to live in paradise, whether they'd do it all over again, and what Florida's "brand" is.

Links We Mentioned

Scott Maxwell's column in the Orlando Sentinel (note: this link is behind a paywall)

Nine Nations of North America 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Doctor Tom Hoctor joins the podcast to talk about the Florida Wildlife Corridor's origins, how money flows to conservation lands, and how people can learn more. Then they talk Florida birds and birding.

Links We Mentioned

Florida Wildlife Corridor

Florida Ecological Greenways Network

Florida Forever

Center for Landscape and Conservation Planning

Hub for the maps at Center for Landscape and Conservation Planning

Wild Waters at The Harn 

Tom's Top Five Birds to See in Florida

Florida scrub jay

Painted buntings

Swallow-tailed kites

Limpkin

Tom's Nemesis Bird: Mangrove cuckoo

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Rick and Cathy meet fans and talk roadside Florida attractions at FloridaRAMA, one of the most interesting pro-natural-Florida, immersive art experience in Florida.

(About that episode art: Do not ever feed a monkey. Do not ever pet a monkey. Do not ever attempt to interact in any way with any monkey.) 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Links We Mentioned

Palm Harbor Museum

Wall Springs County Park

Palm Harbor Library

Detour Charters

Presnell's RV

Hurricanes.gov

Mike's Weather Page

Stephanie Stuckey

Okahumpka Service Plaza 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Angela Sayre brings crabs to the podcast! She's with Crustacean Plantation and wants to encourage people to "leave the shell — take the memory when you visit the Florida Keys (or any coastal community).

Links We Mentioned

Crustacean Plantation

An example of a "broken home" for a hermit crab

Cynthia Barnett's Sound of the Sea

Jonathan Livingston Hermit Crab

YouTube live feed of hermit crabs

Things to Do in the Upper Florida Keys/Tavernier

• Harry Harris Park
• Dive Bar on the Bay
• Florida Keys Wild Bird Center — look for the hermit crab tank!
• Old Tav (ask for the pizza — it's not on the menu — they do a fantastic spinach, bacon, and mushroom)
• Dive Museum
• Dry Tortugas National Park

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

Cozy mystery author Lucy Burdette joins the podcast to talk about her Key West Food Critic Mysteries, her favorite places in Key West, and yes, how she figures out how and where to kill people. 

Don't forget — Orange Blossom podcast members have their members-only t-shirt, created by Rick and printed by Yaint Local in production. We need your size!

Links We Mentioned

Key West Food Critic Mysteries

Golf Lovers Mysteries (Roberta Isleib, aka Lucy Burdette)

Advice Column Mysteries (Roberta Isleib, aka Lucy Burdette)

More Florida writers at the Florida chapter of Mystery Writers of America

Azur restaurant in Key West

David Sloan

Bum Farto

Lucy Burdette's Favorite Things To Do in Key West

Lucy's blog post about this very thing!

Truman Little White House

Latitudes sunset dining on a small island off the coast of Key West (take their boat out to the island )

Cuban sandwiches at Cuban Coffee Queen

Books and Books Key West (Judy Blume's bookstore)

Key West Island Books

Seven Fish

Louie's Backyard

Hemingway House

Robert the Doll

DJ's Clam Shack (but, Lucy cautions, only if you want fried conch)

[https://www..cityofkeywest-fl.gov/819/Historic-Key-West-City-Cemetery]Key West Cemetery 

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!

Send us your Florida questions!

While Cathy's camping lagoon-side in Brevard County, she and Rick talk about what they love about the Indian River Lagoon area and things to do while you're in town.

Links We Mentioned

Indian River Lagoon

Did Ponce de León land in Melbourne instead of St. Augustine?

Ponce de León and other myths

Columbus' voyage map

Florida Historical Society

Kayak with giraffes at the Brevard Zoo

Bioluminescence

Jonathan Dickinson's God's Protecting Providence

Highwaymen Museum

Top Five (OK, Top Many) Things To Do Near the Indian River Lagoon

Melbourne

Melbourne Beach Supermarket

Long Point Campground

Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge (Turtles!)

Long Doggers (Hot dogs and more — and gluten free buns!)

Backwater (Make your own pancakes)

Indian River Roadside Citrus

Space Coast

Dixie Crossroads

Siam Orchid

I Dream of Jeanne at Lori Wilson Park

Black Point Wildlife Drive

Support the show

Question or comment? Email us at [email protected].

Subscribe to The Florida Spectacular newsletter, and keep up with Cathy's travels at greatfloridaroadtrip.com. Keep up with Rick at studiohourglass.blogspot.com and get his books at rickkilby.com.

Find Cathy on social media: Facebook.com/SalustriCathy and everywhere else as @CathySalustri; connect with Rick Facebook.com/floridasfountainofyouth, Bluesky (@oldfla.bsky.social), and IG (@ricklebee).

NEW: Florida landscape questions — Send us your Florida plant questions and we'll have an expert answer them on the show! Use this link!