Florida Native Plant Society Blog

By Laurie Sheldon Based loosely on Robert Northrop's presentation at the 2012 FNPS Conference. ( If you missed Part 1, click here .) (Please start by playing the following video) This is the city: Ruskin, Florida. Located on Florida’s central west coast, Ruskin occupies about 15 square miles of land in unincorporated Hillsborough County. From 1934 until the early 1950s, the major social event of the year was a Tomato Festival. We’ve stepped things up a bit since then, but we’re still something of a sleepy little town with a population of about 17,000… so when a deadly disease makes its Florida premiere in our backyard, I go to work. Monday, December 11, 2006, 59° I had just arrived at headquarters when I got a call from the lab Shannon and I sent tissue samples to the week before. Phil Shannon’s my partner at the Department of Agriculture’s Plant Industry Division. Our boss is Captain Crunch. My name is Sunday - Moe Sunday - I carry a badge. 8:45 A.M. I...

By Laurie Sheldon Based loosely on Robert Northrop's presentation at the 2012 FNPS Conference. (Please start by playing the following video) This is the city: Ruskin, Florida. Located in Hillsborough County on the south shore of Tampa Bay, it has all of the charm you’d expect from a town with a population of about 17,000. Founded on the shores of the Little Manatee River, its pristine estuarine preserves, untouched natural areas, and mild winters combine to make Ruskin ideal for quiet, peaceful living… so when I get a phone call from a hysterical woman screaming about a killer on the loose, that's when I go to work. Ruskin, a sleepy little town on Florida's west coast. "My tree is dead and someone just mistook me for Barbara Billingsley!" Friday, November 24, 2006, 65° I was on field patrol, Department of Agriculture’s Plant Industry Division, with my partner, Phil Shannon. Our boss, Captain Crunch, was out fishing. My name is Sunda...