Oh, the glorious season of fall. What a wonderful time to enjoy the turning of the leaves and the cool welcoming weather… Who am I kidding? This is South Florida. We have three seasons — summer, hurricane season and snowbird season. Still, that doesn’t mean that we cannot celebrate fall here. If you are looking for some fun ways to do so, read the ideas below.
Seasonal plants for a garden
The Current has published great articles about spicing up your meals on campus, and another great way to do that is by adding fresh herbs to your food. In Florida, herbs are pretty easy to grow, especially if you start working with them in November and December. Herbs like thyme, cilantro or coriander, sage, and dill grow great in Florida, and you can easily grow these plants on the windowsill of a dorm room or in a little household garden.
Prepping for hurricanes
Like I said earlier, one of the three seasons we have down here in South Florida is hurricane season. Hurricane season just so happens to be right around that time when the rest of the country is celebrating fall. So, kick off the fall season with hurricane prep and stocking up for your next hurricane party, or plan how you’re going to leave the state in case of an impending category five hurricanes.
Dealing with increased traffic from snowbirds
Well, it’s getting to be that time of year, that time that all Floridians dread: snowbird season. About now, all the tourists are leaving their icy abodes to settle in sunny South Florida and thaw out in the unbearable heat that we all know and love to hate. Given that, if you want to make your commute to campus easier, try taking some of the less-traveled roads to avoid the traffic from tourists and wintertime residents.
Seeing migrating manatees
Florida is pretty well known for being a habitat for manatees, and this time of year is the best time to see them in South Florida. While you can find these great aquatic greats across the state, you are more likely to see them down here as they migrate south towards slightly warmer waters. Manatees frequently migrate to many parks and rivers around the area to get to warmer waters, and you can visit any of them to celebrate your fall.
While we might not get the best weather for true fall down here, there are still some great things that can get you into the Floridian fall spirit, whether its avoiding snowbirds, seeking out manatees or anything in between.
Photo: C. Vedemil
