Nature and Animals

The recent drought has been tough on Country Creek’s trees and shrubs, but good for cleaning out our swales. These shallow channels are built to manage storm water by slowing and capturing runoff. Swales help reduce erosion, filter pollutants and hydrate soil rather than allowing water to pool. Villages at Country Creek paid landscapers last […]

Time is moving quickly—spring is nearly here. You’ve likely observed improvements in ground care and beautification at VCC, thanks to coordinated efforts by vendors, Deadheaders, and Volunteers. Since January 2026, core lawn care, trimming, and debris removal have improved in common areas, with crews now hand raking and removing debris instead of power blowing into […]

Do you enjoy working with your hands, being outdoors, making new friends and contributing to your community? Then Deadheaders may be the group for you. Each week, Deadheaders gather to weed plant beds, pull up dying flowers and shrubs, plant new greenery and in other ways spruce up Country Creek landscaping. Deadheaders meet on Mondays […]

Southwest Florida has the perfect warm climate to host an abundant year-round array of butterflies (approximately 85 species). Our area features a number of iconic species such as the Zebra Longwing, Monarch, and Gulf Fritillary. Key habitats and gardens, often planted with milkweed and passion vine support these species. Populations are most active during the […]

The Deadheaders spent November and December continuing the work done on Community Service Day clearing weeds and brush from the swale area along Country Creek Drive. This will serve as the staging area for construction vehicles when work on the clubhouse begins. Kathy Schal hosted a Deadheaders Christmas party mid-December that included a White Elephant/Yankee […]

With all the current discussion about hunting black bears, I thought it might be a good time to know a few things about them. Black bears originated in North America and have been here at least 1.5 million years. There are currently estimated to be about 4,000 black bears in Florida. Like all members of […]

During October, the Deadheaders completed a major project clearing out densely wooded areas that border Three Oaks Parkway. Volunteers worked 75 hours removing countless cart loads of dead branches, vines and other debris. This area had lots of Virginia Creeper, a five-leaf vine native to Florida. Touching this plant with your bare hands causes rashes […]

Of course I am referring to plants! If so, then check out our neighbor The River Oaks Preserve. It is a 10-acre property at 9541 Broadway Ave., E., Estero. It is open to the public Sunday and Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. The Coccoloba and Naples Chapter of the Florida Native Plant Society […]

GREAT HORNED OWL Florida is home to five resident owl species which are fairly easy to identify, but they can be confused. Most people will need to identify owls by sound, not by image or in-person sightings, which makes owl identification tricky! When considering owls’ calls, they can be easily identified with a bit of […]