Ice, ice, baby! In my Florida back yard? Yep.When one thinks of Florida, the usual staples of sun, sand, palm trees, and -- most notably -- warm weather come to mind. Every once in a while though, the sometimes long, cold, cruel hand of Mother Nature reaches down into our peninsula and gives us a smack.
It has been several weeks since a record-breaking cold streak made its mark on the Sunshine State. So, I've had time to contemplate and build my case against cold weather as the worst of its kind. While an occasional freeze/sub-freezing event might be a novelty to some of us down here not used to experiencing the thrill of the chill (I still can't understand that), it is a major pain for those who toil in the ag industry.
Cold spells make for long days and longer nights of time and energy spent in trying to save crops --- whether they are fruits and vegetables or tropicals and foliage. Freezes aren't anything new to Florida farmers. Nonetheless, when they strike, the damage inflicted can range from having to regroup for some to total devastation for others. The crop and production loss figures from January's freezes have been staggering --- and are still growing.
It's amazing how fine the line is of being cold and being too cold. It's all part of the risk that comes with working in agriculture and doing it in a subtropical climate. The rewards can be great, but the risks are high. Covering the Florida ag industry for a living, I know this all too well.
In addition to my professional interests, as a homeowner and a freezing-weather foe, I have my own personal reasons for disliking cold weather. After all, a temperate climate is one of the reasons why I live and work in Florida. So, when reminders of when I used to live up North come calling, I bristle ... and just because I've caught a chill.
My blood certainly has thinned since becoming a Floridian. Besides the sky-high heating bills, having to scrape frost off my car windows in the morning with one of my credit cards, and/or having to wear bulky sweaters better left at the back of the closet or in a never-to-find-again time capsule ... the following are a few more of my LEAST-favorite things about the cold when it visits my neck of the woods:
Burned-out bougies
Crinkled crotons
Not-so-regal anymore royal palms
Bleach-beige grass
And ... melted legions of lilies
The war zone-like scene around my yard (as captured in the above images) and most other landscapes like mine is the rule right now around Central and South Florida as opposed to exception. I know it is a temporary situation (well, for the most part), but that doesn't make it any less aggravating. Since I took the photos, things have started to green up a bit.
Whether you are a farmer or a landscaping weekend warrior, there's not much to do in the meantime except to see how things shake out, get ready to prune, replant, and wait for some "normal" Florida weather. I think that usually takes place some time between fire season and hurricane season.
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