Author Latrece Johnson "Local Science by a Local Scientist"

06/13/2026

06/13/2026

***ATTENTION: LOCATION CHANGE***

Due to forecasted rain and thunderstorms the World Sea Turtle Day event at Mobile Street beach access has been moved to the Refuge Visitor center. Feel free to stop by and learn about the sea turtles that nest on our beaches and check out some of our specimens! We are open until 1 pm.

Come celebrate World Sea Turtle Day with us!

Join us on Tuesday, June 16th to learn about the sea turtles that nest on Alabama beaches! This will be a drop-in program from 10 am to 12 pm. Walk down the Mobile street parking lot and look for the UTV on the beach! Come learn about the nesting process and how our volunteers work up a sea turtle crawl!

*** Parking is limited at Mobile street parking lot. Limited to no natural shade is available at Mobile street beach access please be prepared to be outside in a sunny humid environment. Biting insects may be present. In case of inclement weather event will be canceled, please check our page the morning of the event for updates***

*Note: All sea turtle footage was obtained with approval from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service under conditions not harmful to these or other sea turtles*

Photo description: Kemp's Ridley sea turtle on the beach (USFWS)

06/13/2026

The herb garden had some very hungry visitors last week! Black Swallowtail caterpillars love to eat plants in the carrot/parsley family, such as the Bronze Fennel in the herb garden. Other plants that attract swallowtail caterpillars are parsley, dill and Queen Anne's Lace.

06/13/2026

06/13/2026

Great question!!

🌊 The Gulf of Mexico off the Alabama coast is not one body of water. It is dozens of different bodies of water depending on the day, the season, the depth, the weather, and the particular angle at which you happen to be encountering it. It is the shallow, crystal-clear flat behind the barrier islands where you can see flounder on the bottom in eighteen inches of water. It is the deep green chop of a summer afternoon with thunderheads building to the southwest. It is the flat, black mirror of a moonless night with bioluminescence trailing every paddle stroke. It is the offshore blue, sixty miles out, where the water changes color and depth simultaneously and the horizon is a perfect circle in every direction and the scale of the thing finally becomes impossible to avoid.
People who spend real time on this Gulf accumulate a private catalog of beautiful things seen in it and on it and above it — the kind of catalog that doesn't get posted anywhere, that exists as a set of images so specific and so personal that describing them to someone else always falls slightly short of what the actual experience was. The marlin that cleared the water eighty miles offshore and hung in the air long enough to count its bill. The sunset that turned the entire Gulf surface a color that had no name. The pod of dolphins that appeared at the bow at midnight in phosphorescent water and left trails of cold blue fire behind every fin. These are the things the Gulf gives to the people who spend time on it, and they are not evenly distributed. They go to the people who show up.
What is the most beautiful thing you have ever seen in or on the Gulf of Mexico off the Alabama coast? Drop a comment. 🌊

06/13/2026

Join us on July 1 from 6–7 PM at Weeks Bay for a free Living Shoreline Workshop for Property Owners. Learn how native marsh plants and other natural features can help combat erosion while benefiting local wildlife and water quality.

📍 Weeks Bay NERR
📝 Register: msucoastal.com/living-shorelines

06/13/2026

☀️ Hello, Summerfest! 🌿

We're bringing the fun TWICE this summer — join us for Summerfest on Saturday, June 27th AND Saturday, August 1st from 9AM to 2PM at the E.O. Wilson Biophilia Center!

This is a nonprofit fundraiser packed with something for everyone:

🏰 Bounce House
🐾 Animal Chats
🦎 Reptile Room
🍖 Food Trucks
🎮 Games
🎟️ Raffles

Plus — support the Biophilia Center and discover new ways to enjoy and connect with nature this summer! 💚

💰 Admission:
Ages 13+: $15 | Ages 4–12: $10 | Bio-Members: FREE

👙 Don't forget a towel and a spare change of clothes for water activities!

📅 Saturday, June 27th & Saturday, August 1st
⏰ 9AM – 2PM
📍 4956 State Highway 20 E, Freeport, FL
🌐 eowilsoncenter.org

Tag someone who needs a summer adventure! 👇

06/04/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/194Pmt9FC4/

Introducing a new series: Nature in Focus! Every week we will highlight an animal or plant that you can find right here at Graham Creek Nature Preserve.

Today we are highlighting the Orange Milkwort! Orange Milkworts are also commonly known as Bog Cheetos, due to their small clusters of orange blooms. This small wildflower is currently blooming at the preserve!

Fun Fact: Orange milkwort seeds are typically spread by ants. Their seeds contain elaiosomes, which the ants like to eat since they are protein rich. The ants consume the elaiosomes but leave the seed intact.

Swing by the preserve and see if you can find Bog Cheetos out on our trails!

05/30/2026

Experience Africatown's, “School Out Tours”

We invite Educators, Professors, Teachers, and Students, Family Reunions, Churches. Join us Fridays and Saturdays this June.