I should have expected it.

The Florida Keys are king when it comes to celebrations, and Earth Day is no exception.

The rest of the globe gets green on April 22, 2011, but in the Florida Keys and Key West -- surrounded by a national marine sanctuary and paralleled by the continental United States’ only living coral barrier reef -- the celebrations go on throughout the whole month.

Check out all these earthy offerings!

·    Key Largo’s Dagny Johnson Key Largo Hammock and John Pennekamp Coral Reef state parks join forces to host Native Plant Day. The Earth Day event splashes into John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park (MM 102.5) 9 a.m. - 2 p.m.  April 2, 2011. Activities include guest presentations by Florida state park biologists Janice and James Duquesnel, native plant giveaways, nature walks, exhibition booths and children’s activities. The park’s entrance fee will be waived for those attending the event. For further information, call 305-451-1202.
·    Bahia Honda State Park (MM 36.8) hosts its 16th annual Earth Day Celebration April 16, 2011, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. This free family-friendly event features live music, a sand sculpture contest, fish printing, puppet shows, children’s games, environmental exhibitions by local groups such as Marathon’s renowned Turtle Hospital and more. For more information, call the Bahia Honda Sand and Sea Nature Center at 305-872-9807.
·    Green Living and Energy Education, a local nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting sustainable living in the Keys, hosts its annual Earth Day Celebration 5-8 p.m. April 22, 2011 at Key West’s Bottle Cap Groove Lounge (1128 Simonton St.).  Free and open to the public, the celebration features a healthy living cook-off complete with a raffle and prizes. In addition, attendees can pay a small fee to judge the cook-off. For more information, call Bridget at 305-923-1994.
·    Dolphin Research Center (MM 59 bayside, Grassy Key) hosts its annual Ocean Day Celebration 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. on April 28, 2011. Open to the public and local grade school students, the event is a fun-filled day of watching the center’s resident dolphins and learning about marine life, the Florida Keys environment and other topics. As well as Dolphin Research Center, presenters include environmental organizations Reef Relief and Save-a-Turtle, the National Key Deer Refuge, Everglades National Park and Bahia Honda State Park. General admission is $20 per person for adults, $15 for children ages 4-12, $17.50 for members of the military and free for children 3 and younger. For information, call 305-289-1121.