With those thick plumes easing out of Florida, things are shifting back to the usual wet-season routine. That means you’ll see the return of afternoon thunderstorms, the end to dry air keeping the tropics quiet, and just a handful of vibrant sunsets left, dust-enhanced and all.

Rain’s making a comeback. Showers and thunderstorms will start popping up earlier in the day and spreading farther inland now that dryness isn’t holding them back. Humidity’s creeping back in, too. The sea breeze will pump plenty of moisture onshore, reminding everyone it’s a Florida summer. You’ll still sweat, but those storms help shave a few degrees off peak afternoon heat.

The dry Saharan Air Layer acted as a natural hurricane shield for a while, holding tropical waves in check. Now, with the dust disappearing from mid-to-late August into September, that shield drops away, and the Atlantic basin’s more likely to wake up. This stretch marks the heart of hurricane season. If you haven’t checked your supplies, now’s the moment.

Regarding those sunsets, watch closely over the next couple of evenings. The haze that scatters sunlight and sets the sky flaming orange, red, and pink is fading fast. The sky’s milky look will sharpen up, turning true blue again. So, get outside tonight or tomorrow if you want one last, unforgettable twilight before the glow disappears until our next Saharan dust season.

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Last summer, coyotes feasted on turtle eggs by digging deep into the sand while the turtles were still developing; the eggs, packed with fats, acids, protein, and vitamins, offered a jackpot for a scavenger.

This year, researchers tried a new strategy at Bowman’s Beach: they put out decoy nests, markers and all, but no real eggs underneath. The hope was simple. Make the coyotes lose interest by letting them waste energy on fake nests with nothing to show for it. 

For a little while, the plan seemed promising. The coyotes dug at the decoys, just as the scientists wanted. But then, that stopped. The animals started skipping the fakes and went right back to the real thing.

“We’re throwing every method approved by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission at this problem,” says Kelly Sloan in an interview with WGCU, the foundation’s coastal wildlife director. “We’re even trying ideas no one’s tested before to bring those predation rates down.”

They need results. Depredation rates have jumped, this summer, as much as 42% of nests were hit, way over the loggerhead recovery plan’s target rate. It’s not just a local problem, either. State data show that the beaches at each end of Sanibel Island, as well as on Captiva Island, are consistently in the top twelve of over two hundred Florida beaches for nest predation.

Things are bad enough that the Sanibel City Council’s now pitching in to fund a coyote population study. Those typically cost well into the six figures.

Out on Bowman’s Beach, you’ll see the classic markers: four wooden stakes, bright warning tape, metal grates, everything to show, both for people and for coyotes, that a nest should be there. The team picked this stretch because last year, it had the worst predation between Sanibel and Captiva. The idea was to blanket the beach with so many nests, some real, some fake, that coyotes would get nothing for their efforts and eventually leave the real nests alone.

It worked for a while. At first, coyotes went after the decoys, but soon enough, they caught on. It slowed down at first, but now they’re just hitting the real nests and ignoring the decoys.

No one really knows how the coyotes reached these barrier islands in the first place, but the leading theory is they walked across the causeway one night years ago. 

However they got there, they’ve learned to trust their noses over visual markers. And that creates a puzzle researchers haven’t solved yet.

Click here for more information.

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Wednesday, August 19, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., assuming the weather stays cooperative, crews from the Southwest Florida Water Management District will set a 157-acre prescribed fire at Deer Prairie Creek in Sarasota County. You’ll find the site about a mile and a half south of I-75 and less than a mile east of US-41.

These burns aren’t random. Prescribed fires help prevent destructive wildfires and keep Florida’s conservation lands healthy. They clear out overgrown brush, knock back invasive species, and help native plants and animals thrive. The District carries out these burns on a regular cycle, always with approval from the Florida Forest Service and a careful eye on safety and weather.

If you want updates, you can sign up for email or text alerts about all prescribed burns at WaterMatters.org/PrescribedBurnsAlerts. And before worrying about smoke or flames tomorrow, check if it’s a planned fire. Chances are, it’s just the SWFWMD fire at Deer Prairie Creek, working to keep our wild places healthy. 

For more information, visit WaterMatters.org/PrescribedBurns.

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People gathered, hundreds, not just a handful, sprawled along the sand at Fort Zachary Taylor Historic State Park. They watched the Turtle Hospital team carry all 270 pounds of Timmy to the water’s edge. No one looked away as she took each slow, deliberate step back into her home.

Her story goes back to July 19, when boaters spotted her struggling far offshore by Sugarloaf Key. She couldn’t dive. She thrashed and flailed until someone called for help. The boaters waited, floating beside her, until the Coast Guard arrived, ready to haul her to safety. The Turtle Hospital in Marathon gave her a new chance.

Timmy made her presence known right away. During the ambulance ride, she climbed right out of her container and whipped equipment all over the van. That’s the kind of turtle she is, unruly, impossible to ignore. The staff she met right then? She won their hearts with that attitude.

Treatment took time. She got fluids, antibiotics, and a battery of tests. And when she felt better, her appetite charged back faster than her energy. She devoured squid, mackerel, shrimp, and lobster tails. Staff cheered the first time she pooped, a huge sign her system was working again.

When she could handle more, they moved her to a tidal pool the size of a small lake. There, Timmy swam under watchful eyes. She passed every test. This was important, not just for the people, but for her kind. She’s old, somewhere between 70 and 80, and she’s still nesting. Already, she’d laid eggs three times this season, one clutch just ten days before her rescue.

Bette Zirkelbach from the Turtle Hospital put it plainly: “Getting a reproductive female like Timmy back in the ocean matters most for their survival.” She’s living proof of what decades in the sea can look like, and just how vital one resilient turtle is for the future of her species.

While she recovered, people from all over watched her on livestreams, saw her eat, saw her swim, saw her bounce back. They watched her enjoy back scratches and spa days. Timmy’s personality drew a crowd. By the time she was cleared for release, she had a whole fan club.

Florida Representative Jim Mooney came to the release, too. He grew up in the Keys and sees Timmy’s journey as more than just a happy ending. “We have to teach the next generation how much our environment matters,” he said, scanning the beach for the kids who watched.

That morning, the park opened its gates for free, determined to let anyone join the send-off. The line along the sand was full of neighbors and strangers, all connected by this turtle’s fight to survive.

For Zirkelbach and her team, seeing all those people turn out mattered. “Compassion is contagious,” she said. “The best thing we can do for sea turtles is to fall in love with them.”

As Timmy paddled past the breakers, the crowd watched her vanish. She returned to the wild, to the life she’s known for eight decades. This time, hundreds of people carried a little of her stubborn, enduring spirit with them.

Want to know more? Visit TurtleHospital.org.

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Every year, Florida’s alligator hunting season runs from August 15 to November 1. The state issues about 7,000 permits through a lottery system. If you get picked, you walk away with two harvest tags, part of the effort to keep the alligator population, now about 1.3 million, in check. 

Permits are in demand, too. Over 15,000 people try for them every year. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Commission (FWC) lets hunters go after gators at any hour during the season, and each standard permit includes two CITES tags, letting you take two alligators.

Alligator Biology Trivia

Did you know that the temperature in a mother gator’s nest determines if her eggs hatch into males or females? Above 93°F you’ll get males, below 86°F and they’ll be females. 

Hatching season lines up with the start of the hunt, mid-August to early September. Just before that, in spring, the air fills with the sound of male alligators roaring and bellowing as they fight for territory and mates.

But gator mating season isn’t just noisy; it can get dangerous. Florida’s dense alligator population means a higher risk of run-ins, and sometimes those encounters turn deadly. Since 1948, the state has recorded about 500 reported alligator attacks. Of those, over 150 were minor and needed little or no medical care. Almost 350 attacks caused serious injuries. And tragically, 33 people have died, including a recent case: a woman swimming with friends in the Little Big Econ State Forest just this past summer.

Click here for more information about alligator hunting season.

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This year alone, it has killed seven people along the Gulf Coast. Florida reported two deaths, Louisiana five. And this isn’t rare hype: the CDC says about one in five people infected doesn’t survive. Doctors are sounding the alarm, especially for anyone with open wounds or health conditions. Going for a swim? Double-check for cuts, burns, or surgical wounds first. Warm coastal water and raw shellfish create easy ways for the bacteria to get in.

Early detection saves lives. Catching the infection soon enough gives treatment a much better chance. The bigger problem? These cases aren’t just random. Climate change keeps pushing Gulf temperatures higher, which is helping the bacteria move further north every year.

People with diabetes, liver problems, or weakened immune systems are those at highest risk, and they need to be extra careful. If you fall into one of those groups, and especially if you have any broken skin, skip a swim in the Gulf for now. It’s tempting in this heat, but a quick dip isn’t worth the risk of a life-threatening infection.

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Today, the Peace and Caloosahatchee rivers hold some of the most important nurseries for smalltooth sawfish in the United States. These fish depend on shallow tidal creeks and flats, especially the tangles of red mangroves where saltwater and freshwater mix. That narrow mixing zone offers the right conditions for young sawfish to grow.

Yet, sawfish remain one of the most threatened marine fish groups anywhere. Back in 1992, Florida gave them legal protection, and they’re now officially endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The IUCN Red List classifies green, smalltooth, and largetooth sawfish as “critically endangered.” Dwarf and narrow sawfish are also endangered.

One big problem is that sawfish don’t have many young. Every loss hits the population hard, and there’s still so much scientists don’t know about them. That’s why researchers at the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute are ramping up efforts to learn more. But they can’t do it alone.

They’re calling on anglers, boaters, and anyone near the water to report sawfish sightings. Catch one by accident? See one from a dock or bridge? The scientists want these reports. On their Save the Sawtooth website, they urge: “If you catch a sawfish while fishing for other species or happen to see one while you are near the water, please contact us. This statewide survey gives everyone a chance to help us learn where sawfish are still hanging on.”

Five species of sawfish remain worldwide. The smalltooth sawfish lives in the Atlantic. Scientists find green, narrow (or knifetooth), and dwarf sawfish in the Indian and western Pacific Oceans. The largetooth, or freshwater, sawfish survives in the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific oceans.

Anyone who sees a sawfish in Florida should contact the scientists online or call 1-800-4SAWFISH (472-9347). The more details, the better: date, time, water depth, the fish’s size, and anything else that stands out, all help researchers piece together the story of Florida’s sawfish and what it’ll take to protect them.

Click here for more information and to report any findings to the FWC.

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“We’re teaming up with local organizations and governments, whether they’re running existing artificial reef programs or want to start one,” said Mike Norberg, the Coastal Corridor Project Director.

The $15 million grant earmarks most of its funds for creating new reefs by sinking ships and reef modules off the coast. The rest will help FWC shape a longer-term plan, deciding exactly where the next structures should go.

Florida’s Panhandle is already a hotspot for artificial reef projects, a status boosted by the funding that poured in after the BP Oil Spill. “In the Panhandle, we’ve seen a surge in activity. The extra funds from the spill really fueled reef deployment and habitat restoration,” Norberg explained.

Money is vital in reef construction, as Erin Graham, Coastal Resource Manager for Visit Panama City Beach, pointed out. “Getting these structures ready can be pricey. We have to remove every environmental hazard before deployment. Those costs add up fast, so new funding really helps us make sure each structure is completely clean before it hits the water.”

This fall, crews plan to sink three more vessels, adding to sites like the Black Pearl, already home to 26 different species of marine life. “The Black Pearl’s been a magnet for fish and invertebrates,” Graham said.

Visit Panama City Beach also has plans to deploy new reef modules, with the Fish and Wildlife Foundation backing those efforts.

The impact goes beyond just marine life. These artificial reefs provide fresh habitat, boost recreational fishing and diving, and pour energy into local economies. Managed by FWC and local county programs, each project turns an empty stretch of sand into a thriving underwater ecosystem.

In Southwest Florida, reefs stretch from Charlotte Harbor all the way down to the Ten Thousand Islands. Teams use everything from concrete culverts and heavy steel to specially designed reef balls. They choose sites anywhere from 2 to 30 miles offshore, always following strict permitting rules and with county programs like Charlotte County Natural Resources keeping a close watch.

Artificial reefs in the Gulf make a difference, supporting fisheries, serving as research platforms for studying water quality and red tide, and driving tourism. It’s a full-circle approach: science, recreation, and coastal economies all benefiting as Florida’s underwater world grows.

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The waterspout itself didn’t last long. It spun across the water for a moment before fizzling out, no actual damage, no injuries, just a quick jolt of excitement for those who saw it. 

Meteorologists traced the cause back to a line of storms powered by a tropical wave drifting over Florida that day.

Although official numbers on waterspouts or tornadoes weren’t released for the Gulf Coast that Friday, local agencies did issue Special Marine Warnings for the area. Reports from boaters and residents kept trickling in, describing heavy downpours and the occasional swirling funnel. For residents in Englewood, the excitement was all about that quick, spinning waterspout, and the chance to catch it on video.

The entire weekend ushered in much-needed storms, with Englewood getting a front-row seat to nature’s display. Thank you to reader Alison Horton for sending in her stunning photos of our weekend skies. 

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If you’re in Southwest Florida, you’re out of luck for this one. The eclipse peaks at 1:47 p.m. EST, but nobody down here will see even a sliver. Only the far northern parts of the U.S. and the Northeast catch the partial show, while the total eclipse runs over Greenland, Iceland, and Spain. For those missing out, NASA will broadcast the spectacle online; just visit the NASA Science Eclipse Page (link at the end of the story).

Let’s dig into where the eclipse will be visible, what makes totality so powerful, and how to watch safely.

What triggers a total solar eclipse?

A solar eclipse unfolds when the moon lines up between the sun and Earth, casting its shadow on us. Total solar eclipses happen thanks to a wild coincidence: Although the sun’s around 400 times wider than the moon, it’s also about 400 times farther away. This lets the moon, just occasionally, block out the entire sun and bathe us in darkness.

A spokesperson at the Robert Ferguson Observatory in California puts it simply: “The moon just barely manages to cover the sun from our viewpoint.”

So why isn’t there an eclipse every month? The moon’s orbit tilts about five degrees compared to Earth’s orbit around the sun, so they rarely line up perfectly; Sometimes, though, the geometry is right and we get a partial or total eclipse.

There’s another twist: The moon’s orbit is an ellipse, so its distance from Earth varies. When the moon’s farther away, it can’t quite cover the sun completely, even when it lines up. That’s when we get an annular eclipse, a glowing ring of fire encircling the dark moon.

Where can you see the August 2026 eclipse?

On August 12, the moon’s shadow will first touch down on remote parts of the Arctic, then trace a line over Greenland, Iceland, northern Russia, the Atlantic, Spain, and finally clip northwest Portugal. Totality begins around 4:58 p.m. UTC and ends about 6:34 p.m. UTC, with the deepest eclipse at 5:46 p.m. UTC. At the center, totality lasts up to two minutes and 18 seconds.

The sun’s height in the sky will vary along the path. In Iceland and Greenland, people will see totality high overhead late in the day. In Spain, totality brushes past right before sunset. This low sun makes the Spanish eclipse especially dramatic, but also harder to see if mountains, buildings, trees, or clouds crowd the horizon. You’ll need a clear view to the west.

Beyond the main path, much of the Northern Hemisphere gets a partial eclipse. In Alaska and northern Canada, it’s a morning event. Across the northern U.S. and eastern Canada, it hits midday or afternoon. Then, as night falls, Europe and western Africa catch the partial show.

Partial versus total: How different are they?

In a partial eclipse, the moon just takes a bite out of the sun. Even if 99 percent of the sun hides, the sky stays bright, and the faint solar corona remains invisible.

Totality changes everything. Daylight melts into an eerie twilight. The black disk of the moon sits in front of the sun, ringed by the corona’s ghostly glow. Animals notice, too: birds hush, then sing as if dawn has come again.

Are total eclipses really that rare?

In one sense, no, they happen somewhere on Earth about every 18 months. But the shadow’s path is narrow, often less than 70 miles wide. You need to be in the right place at the right time. For one fixed location, hundreds of years can pass between total eclipses. Welch points out that chasing eclipses can reward a traveler with several totalities in a single lifetime.

The next shot comes August 2, 2027, when the shadow crosses southern Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. That eclipse brings a longer show, up to six minutes and 23 seconds of totality, almost three times as long as the 2026 eclipse.

What do scientists learn during eclipses?

Historically, eclipses were crucial. Early 1900s expeditions that tested Einstein’s theory of gravity by measuring starlight near the sun. Today, astronomers use eclipses to study the corona, its temperature, structure, and connection to the solar wind, since it becomes visible only when the moon covers the sun completely.

How do you see the eclipse for yourself?

First, use an eclipse map and get yourself inside the path of totality. Weather can make or break the show, so you’ll want to monitor forecasts and be willing to move on short notice. Photographers need to practice in advance, since totality flies by.

Never look straight at the sun without proper protection, and regular sunglasses won’t cut it. Use eclipse glasses or a certified handheld solar viewer. Remove your glasses only when the sun is completely covered within the path of totality. Put them back on immediately when daylight returns.

If you want to view the eclipse indirectly, something as simple as a pinhole projector works. 

Above all, be present. Take time to simply look up and enjoy it. Totality lasts just a few minutes, but that memory will stay with you for the rest of your life.

Click here to view the eclipse live, as it happens with NASA.

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