Wounded Warrior Project Soldier Ride Kickoff

On January 13th, Jungle Island will host members of the Wounded Warrior Project for a special ceremony and celebration to kick-off their annual Soldier Ride, a long-distance bicycle ride stretching from South Beach to Key West.

Approximately 30 wounded veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan will arrive on Jungle Island and be welcomed by community leaders during a brief program solidifying our community’s commitment to our returning servicemen and women.

Seen on Jungle Island-Gilbert Gottfried

Gilbert Gottfried stopped by Jungle Island's Winter Wonder Island today to meet an alligator, pose with a parrot in Jungle Island's magical snowfall and meet our very own "Iago," Gilbert's character in Disney's Aladdin.

Jungle Island: An Organic Success Story

Tukey, Paul. "Jungle Island: An Organic Success Story."

Web log post. SafeLawns.Blog Daily Q & A.

16 Nov. 2009.

Web: safelawns.org

One of the biggest objections we hear when promoting organic lawn and landscape maintenance concerns the cost. The overriding perception is that natural fertilization and pest controls cost more, are less effective and generally lead to an unkempt appearance.

That, said Jeff Shimonski, cannot be further from the truth.

The vice president of horticulture for Jungle Island in Miami, Fla., Jeff has never used pesticides or chemical fertilizers on his 18-acre tropical property in the past six-plus years. Having viewed it with my own eyes a week ago, I can tell you the plants are amazingly healthy — just like the bottom line, according to Jeff.

“This is a for-profit business and for the owners it’s all about the bottom line,” he said during our hour-long walk through of the popular tourist attraction. “At the end of the day, we’re saving tons of money by avoiding the pesticides and the fertilizers. And, as you can see, the plants look great.”

Jeff said he grew up in the horticulture industry using the same pesticides we all did. “That’s just what we were taught,” he said.

Several years ago, however, he said he began to have second thoughts about almost daily spraying for insects, including mosquitoes, and also frequent applications for weed control and fungal diseases.

“The sprays really weren’t working,” he said. “Not from a health perspective and also not from plant perspective, either. The insects build up a resistance over time and so you have to apply more and more product and get less and less efficacy.”

When the owners of Jungle Island opted to move the facility to its new location, a one-time hardscrabble landfill between Miami Beach and South Beach, they gave Jeff free reign to design the new landscape with organics in mind. Bringing in thousands of yards of compost was his first move.

After establishing all of his new plants in fertile surroundings, Jeff said the key to subsequent success is to keep his eyes open every day and always resist the temptation to override nature. Here are a few of his pointers I came away with; the principles are the same no matter where you live in the country:

1) RIGHT PLANT, RIGHT PLACE — Not every plant will grow in every situation and it’s only when you try to force it that you get into trouble with insects, disease and poor growth factors. When a palm tree became overrun with insects, he cut and removed the palm rather than take out the sprays.

2) FERTILIZER CAN BE GROWN, NOT POURED — In the North, I have long been a proponent of cover crops such as clover, which can trap nitrogen from the atmosphere into the soil. Jeff introduced me to a tall bush with daisy-like yellow flowers that was grown behind some small palm-like shrubs. The Tithonia diversifolia was, like clover, a legume capable of “fixing” nitrogen. Jeff lets the Tithonia grow for a while so people can enjoy the yellow flowers. Then he cuts the plant to the ground and covers it with mulch. The nitrogen-rich Tithonia becomes the fertilizer that makes the surrounding palms grow so well.

3) LAWNS & LANDSCAPES IN HARMONY — Jungle Island features several lawn areas. One in particular was mostly St. Augustine, which is one of the two most common lawn grasses in Florida. Even without fertilizer it appeared healthy and mostly devoid of weeds, other than a bit of beautiful Mexican clover, Richardia grandiflora. The other lawn area had very little grass, but was really beautiful nonetheless. The 12 or so “weeds” in the large area were thriving in a hardpan soil where constant events made compaction inevitable. The wide variety of plants, according to Jeff, attracted beneficial insects that helped protect the surrounding trees from insect infestation. “If we didn’t have the diversity of species of plants in our lawn, I’m sure the trees would be overrun with insects and disease and we’d be forced to spray the pesticides.”

4) YOU DON’T NEED TO SPRAY FOR MOSQUITOES — At many Florida attractions, daily mosquito spraying is a fact of life — especially if the park offers evening events. Jeff has mastered bio-controls for the persistent pests, which includes constant monitoring of standing water in and around plants and ponds. Rather than try to explain his techniques here, I invite you to check out this page of his web site: http://tropicaldesigns.com/amc-09.html. It’s truly fascinating to me that he has figured this out. Imagine how much municipalities around the world could save on pesticides if they adopted some of these control techniques.

Jungle Island's Spooktacular Celebration

Jungle Island held its Annual Spooktacular celebration with all it's creepy animals.

Jungle Island Animals Featured on The Today Show!

Jungle Islands animals visit the set of the Today Show. Among the visitors were Jungle Island's Baby Marmoset.

Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy

Pay for one day, Get 365 days for Free-Miami Attraction

For a limited time, guests who visit Jungle Island for a day, will be invited to return as often as they would like for a full year! When you purchase a full-priced ticket to Jungle Island Miami now through September 30th, you can upgrade to an Annual Passport for free, giving you a full year of access to Jungle Island Miami and at other South Florida attractions. Plus, you'll be invited to exclusive events and parties just for passport holdres, and you'll get sneak-peeks at new additions to the Jungle. It's the best deal in South Florida, so swing by the Jungle for a day and come back all year long.

Welcome to Jungle-Miami Attraction

Hellomiami.com Article

Published: September 14, 2009

By: Jessica Bates


Jungle Island, neighbor of the Miami Children's Museum, offers a lush oasis for animals lovers.

Be sure to make time for the Winged Wonders show, where colorful birds fly in circles above your head. See birds talk, fly through hoops and more. Meet the king vulture, the cockatoo, the 6-foot Cassowary and many more colorful winged creatures.

Another great performance, produced by the conservation organization T.I.G.E.R.S., is the Tale of the Tiger. Find yourself face-to-face with a wolf, a tiger, a skunk, a white-handed gibbon and even a binturong. After the show, stick around and purchase a photo of yourself and a cuddly tiger cub, with proceeds benefiting T.I.G.E.R.S.

Fun and informative Keeper Talks occur throughout the day, and include Primate Presentation, Flamingo Feeding, Manu Encounter, Tiger Tales, Feed the Lorikeets and Kangaroo Konnection. Grab a map at the park's entrance to find out what show is where.

Monkey around with the orangutans and cool down with the African penguins. Your little one can burn some energy at the park's playground.

At Jungle Island, visitors are close to the animals. Parrots line certain walkways and are not shy. If you want an even closer animal encounter, explore the park's VIP options, which include a 90-minute Safari Tour, a Lemur Experience and a Penguin Encounter.

If you get hungry, pop into the Lakeside Cafe and grab a bite to eat. Indoor seating and outdoor seating is available, and the outdoor patio has a lovely view of Flamingo Lake. You will surely see a group of flamingos brightening up the lake. Also if you need a break from the outdoors, a small arcade can be found inside the Cafe.

Jungle Island has educational (and fun!) programs like the overnight Jungle Slumber, summer camps, scout programs, fieldtrips and more. There may be some discounted days or special promotions going on at the park. Check the website or call the park for details. Jungle Island is open 365 days a year.

Jungle Island's Treetop Ballroom can be rented for fund raisers, corporate events, weddings, birthday parties or other events. Contact the park for more information.

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