Maria Lamb

The September Lunch with Friends (LWF) hosted 110 seniors at the Marco Lutheran Church. Nancy Kot, of Our Daily Bread Pantry, welcomed several new folks and was thrilled to have them join the group. “The theme that keeps coming back to me is friendship,” said Kot. “It's my favorite day of the month.” Kot had a special mention for their support and regular attendance to Pastor Matt from Wesley Methodist Church and also for Josh Baudin, who just had a birthday! Also, Pastor Ed from United Church of Marco Island stopped by as he usually does along with John Riley from the YMCA. A big thanks to the San Marco Catholic Church Council of Catholic Women for sponsoring the delicious lunch, which was prepared by The Boulevard.

of 2 You are having company and you've chosen t acos as an easy and versatile dish – simple to prepare and c ustomize with f illings made in advance.

It was the last Saturday of September around 8:30 AM and five members of the Calusa Garden Club's butterfly “warriors” were “busier than bees in a flower farm” at the Calusa Park Butterfly Garden. This was a scheduled maintenance morning, getting the garden ready for the fall pollinating season. Summer is a demanding season for the garden and it can quickly become overgrown. “We try to come here twice a month to keep the growth manageable as plants get leggy and pests start to show,” said Susan LaGrotta, Butterfly Garden Committee Chair.

The new Marco Island Code Enforcement boat has been on the water since August 27, 2026. “It was purchased by the City of Marco Island to help protect

On Marco Island, four green sea turtles nested, but one nest did not hatch as it was below the escarpment.

It's early October 2026 in Southwest Florida and it's that time of the year for the annual sunflower viewing at Pepper Ranch in Immokalee.

These preliminary numbers were provided by FWC as of August 31, 2026:

Hurricane Isaias made landfall near Destin, Florida, on October 9, 2026, as a Category Two Hurricane with maximum sustained winds of 105 mph, according to the National Hurricane Center.

October is Florida Native Plant Month. There is a slight drop in the heat and humidity and we know it is as fall. It's the ideal time to check the garden.

Over 30 volunteers gathered at Residents Beach for a beach cleanup on October 18, 2026. Big thanks to our sponsors, Our Daily Bread Food Pantry (ODBFP) and Marco Island Civic Association (MICA), and to all the volunteers who helped collect 75+ pounds of trash in two hours!