July-September 2015 Community Newsletter Panther Trace CDD Phase I Board Of Supervisors Megan Jones Chair Michael Staubitz Vice Chair Jeffery Spiess Supervisor Michael Themar Supervisor Panther Trace CDD Phase I Staff Monica Vitale Field Operations Manager Howard Kennedy Assistant Manager Phone: 813-671-8023 www.mypanthertrace.net PTRecCenterManager @verizon.net This newsletter is printed compliments of the Tampa Bay Times Community Development Team. To subscribe, please call 877-843-8463 Be in the know! Visit our website at www.mypanthertrace.net To receive email reminders and event details, please send an email to PTRecCenterManager@verizon.net with Email Contact List in the subject line. You will be added to our email communications. Contact me at the office 813-671-8023
Calendar of Events Phase I July Tuesday July 21 Panther Trace HOA Meeting 7:00pm Phase I Clubhouse Wednesday July 15 & 29 Hair Braiding Class Panther Trace Phase I Clubhouse Tuesday July 28 Panther Trace CDD-Phase I Meeting 6:30pm Phase I Clubhouse Saturday July 25 Panther Trace CDD-Phase I Fun in the Summer Sun Party 10am-2pm Phase I Pool and Clubhouse July 1-31 PROtential Sports Summer Camp Panther Trace Phase I Clubhouse Creating a Cycle of Life Butterfly Garden Francine Frohnhoefer Butterfly attracting plants have now arrived in garden centers, and it is a good time to start a cycle-of-life butterfly garden. It s easy to attract butterflies and hummingbirds to your garden by providing their favorite nectar-producing flowers. We also need to persuade them to stay all summer by growing the plants that supply food for the insect s larval stage. Female butterflies lay their eggs only on certain plants which will nourish their young caterpillar s larvae after they hatch. Also you need to provide at least one puddle area for your butterflies because they cannot drink from open water. You can make a water puddle by adding sand and gravel with a large rock to a bird bath or flowerpot saucer. And most important of all, refrain from using insecticides and herbicides in your garden, the idea is to keep the cycle-of-life going all year around. An excellent planning design for butterflies and hummingbirds follow the wildlife principles of layered vegetation. By building a cascade of plants having larger shrubs such as firebush, firecracker plant and lantana mixed with scarlet milkweed (aka butterfly plant) you will attract butterflies and hummingbirds. The milkweed/butterfly plant,asclepies tuberosa will provide a host plant for the butterfly larvae. And adding smaller annual and perennial flowers around the outside will add color and attract butterflies. Perennial black-eyed susan and tropical sage, go well with the annual indian blanket flower,gailiardia which readily reseeds. If you keep these plants and flowers free of herbicide and pesticides, you can look forward to many seasons of enjoyment derived from your cycle-of-life butterfly garden. August Wednesday August 5 & 19 Hair Braiding Class Panther Trace Phase I Clubhouse Tuesday August 18 Panther Trace HOA Meeting 7:00pm Panther Trace Phase I Clubhouse Tuesday August 25 Panther Trace CDD-Phase I Meeting 6:30pm Phase I Clubhouse Saturday August 29 Food Truck and Movie Night 5pm Panther Trace Phase I Multipurpose Field September Tuesday September 15 Panther Trace HOA Meeting 7:00pm Phase I Clubhouse Tuesday September 22 Panther Trace CDD-Phase I Meeting 6:30pm Phase I Clubhouse OCTOber Saturday October 3 Food Truck and Movie Night Mondays and Fridays 10:00am Zumba Classes Phase I Clubhouse Parched But Pretty Turn off the hose and try colorful, easy-care plants that like it dry. The colorful water-guzzling plants being sold in stores seem to taunt, and thirsty St. Augustine grass dries up without weekly irrigation. What s a green thumb to do? Cue drought-resistant plants. No, we re not talking cacti. This isn t Arizona. You can have a lush, colorful lawn in Florida with just rainwater, says Riverview Flower Farm co-owner Rick Brown. And he s talking about the current rate of rain - not much. You can choose your price tag and commitment level. If some of your plants have died, replace them with hardy Mexican petunias or red star cordyline. Or go all the way and rip out your irrigation-dependent grass to save water and lower your monthly bill. Ground covers like beach sunflower or ornamental sweet potato will keep your yard looking good. Brown s farm, which sells to Home Depot, grows about a dozen varieties of plants that don t need much water, and many can handle Florida s full sun. He has started providing more because the watering restrictions have made them popular. It s what people want right now, he said. How much will this cost? Replacing a 9- by 9-foot plot of grass will cost about $12.97, if you choose Home Depot s beach sunflowers, perennial peanuts, ornamental sweet potatoes or purslane, which come in sets of nine small plants. Place each about 3 feet apart. If you can t wait long for full cover, plant them closer in a smaller space or buy more. Want to advertise in this newsletter? Call Andrea Daly, 813-226-3340, or email her at ADaly@tampabay.com. She will assist you in designing an ad that will help both your business & your community. Thank you for supporting community advertising! The articles and opinions in this newsletter are the property of the Panther Trace CDD and are not endorsed by the Times Publishing Company or its affiliates. Panther Trace July-September 2015 www.panthertracetimes.com 2
Fun in the Summer Sun Party Saturday July 25 10am-2pm at the Phase I Pool and Clubhouse Panther Trace July-September 2015 www.panthertracetimes.com 3
Always Keep Your Car Keys On You Or Very Close By Why? If you hear a noise outside your home or someone trying to get in your house, you will be able to easily press the panic button for your car. If you have a bedside table, you can make that the "home" for your keys and keep them there when you go to bed, rather than hanging them by the front door. This way they will be more easily accessible. The alarm will start sounding, and the horn will continue to sound until either you turn it off or the car battery dies. Essentially, your car keys are a security alarm system that you already have and require no installation. Try testing it. The alarm should go off from most everywhere inside your house and will keep honking until your battery runs down or until you reset it with the button on the key fob chain. It also works if you park in your driveway or garage. If your car alarm goes off when someone is trying to break into your house, odds are the criminal won't stick around. After a few seconds, all the neighbors will be looking out their windows to see who is out there, and criminals won't want that. Also, remember to carry your keys while walking back to your car in a parking lot. The alarm can work the same way there. This handy trick also is useful for any emergency, such as a heart attack, where you can't reach a phone. My buddy, the friendly neighborhood watch coordinator, suggested to his mom that his dad (who has a history of heart problems and likes to work in their yard) carry his car keys with him in case he falls outside and she doesn't hear him. He can activate the car alarm and then she'll know there's a problem. You may be thinking, "I've seen that commercial," because keeping your car keys close by is indeed very similar to many popular infomercial products like the Life Alert button. The secret is, you don't really need that button if you've got a set of car keys that has an alarm already on it. This is something that should really be shared with everyone. Remembering to use this simple tip could possibly save a life, prevent a burglary, or prevent a sexual abuse crime. Please share this message with your friends and family so they too can stay safe and informed about this simple trick. The articles and opinions in this newsletter are the property of the Panther Trace Times and are not endorsed by the Times Publishing Company or its affiliates. Panther Trace July-September 2015 www.panthertracetimes.com 4
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