This is a series of flash interviews with people I admire, people who are doing something—anything, a lot of things—for the Earth. These folks walk the walk, each of them in their own way, using their own unique skillset. They dedicate their energy, their time, and their hearts to a crucial cause: the preservation of this precious planet we call home.
Years (decades!) ago, when I was writing about nature for a newspaper in Florida, I called Craig Huegel at least once a week. At that time, Craig was an extension agent with the University of Florida, specializing in urban wildlife. He was one of my main sources, always willing to share information from the vast resource library in his brain. I could ask him about anything from armadillos to zinnias, and he’d have the answer.
Craig’s career started out in zoology, studying coyotes and white-tailed deer. Later his specialty shifted to plants and that’s when he started pumping out an impressive array of books, several of them published by the University of Florida Press. He has written about native wildflowers, landscaping with native plants, butterfly gardening, low-maintenance native grass lawns, and edible and medicinal plants, among many other botanical topics. In cooperation with the Florida Native Plant Society, Craig has written guides to native Florida shrubs, trees, and groundcovers.
For many years, he served as Environmental Lands Administrator for Pinellas County, overseeing the well-being of 13 preserves and natural areas in Florida’s most densely populated county. He became an expert on balancing the needs of humans and wildlife, preserving pockets of green wildness that I, along with millions of other Pinellas residents, treasured for the respite they offered us. (Thank you, Craig!) He’s also known for his legendary guided wildflower walks at the Paynes Prairie Preserve near Gainesville.
Even though Craig still works fulltime, now as the director of the University of South Florida Botanical Gardens, he reserves time for his own gardening passions. At his home in Holiday, Florida, Craig hosted native plant sales for many years. (He recently moved his remaining stock to the USF Botanical Gardens shop.) He also blogs about Florida wildflowers and about his experiences turning a small urban yard into a haven for birds, pollinators and other wildlife. As if all that isn’t enough, he’s also a longtime community radio programmer, hosting a show on WMNF-Tampa Bay that focuses on eclectic Americana music. Truly a Renaissance man!
Here’s what my long-ago source shared with me about his lifetime links to the natural world.
Craig, please tell me about some of your early experiences in nature.
My earliest nature experience I can recall was standing next to a black raspberry planting in our yard and eating the fruit. I was somewhere around three years old at the time. As a very young boy, I took a lot of joy in gardening and in the plants we had around the landscape: bleeding hearts, lilies of the valley, roses, and lilacs, for example. This was in Madison, Wisconsin. Throughout my life, from earliest childhood, I've been drawn to the outdoors, to wildlife and to plants.
How did those early experiences shape your relationship with the natural world?
I spent nearly every “extra” hour that I had outdoors, exploring the woods, raising caterpillars to adulthood, etc. Most of my reading material centered on wildlife/animals.
How do you connect with nature now … either through your work or leisure or both?
I get outdoors as often as I can to walk/hike in natural areas and I garden assiduously. With my new job as Director of the University of South Florida Botanical Gardens, I get to stay connected on many levels, from designing and planting gardens to educating people about the importance of plants and landscapes to wildlife.
What are your biggest fears for the future of our planet?
We have a severe lack of physical connection to the rest of the biosphere. I believe that you can only love what you have firsthand experience touching and feeling. Our disconnect coupled with a general apathy and ownership is scary to me.
What is your biggest hope for the future of our planet?
That we as a species will eventually realize we are only a part of the planet and we then realize what our role is and that it's important to protect everything around us to ensure our future and the future of the rest of life.
Thank you, Craig, for being a Champion of Nature!
Another lovely profile as always!
I love Craig Huegel's blog writing! I always wished I lived in Florida to be able to get some of the plants he grew out. Thanks for highlighting him here!