The Environment

What’s in a name?If it’s the name of the Florida Red-bellied Cooter, there’s a lot! This freshwater (and occasionally brackish water) turtle is found in calm water through most of Florida and into southern Georgia. “Red-bellied” describes most young adults, but as they age, their belly changes color and can be brown or yellow.And that name “cooter” – where did it come from and what does it mean? The name “cooter” is centuries old and it seems likely that it was the name used by slaves from west Africa. In their language, the name for turtle – is today spelled “kuta” and pronounced like “cooter.

Shelters open when the National Weather Service expects "feels like" temperatures to hit 40 degrees or below. Here's what to know.

This month a Southwest Florida icon is celebrating its 90th birthday. And it's doing so with its eye on what it hopes will be a bright and bold future. The Everglades Wonder Gardens opened in 1936, and still is a big visitor draw today.

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

A retrospective curated by the famed photographer is on now. Butcher is scheduled to speak at the museum later this month. You can check their website for details on that.

Rising grocery prices and food supply issues brought on by the pandemic in 2020 have motivated some people to grow their own food. WUSF takes you to a micro farm in West Pasco County where one farmer is feeding his family and the community.

While Naples was replaced by a Michigan town at No. 1, Florida still led the country with 53 of 250 locations worth of retirees' consideration. Changes in methodology shook up the rankings.

An unusual spike in seabirds that are unable to walk is worrying local wildife experts