When I hear the word tumbleweed, an image of a dry brittle plant tumbling across a barren road of an arid desert scene pops into my head. Not the image of a prickly plant patching across the beaches… Read More
A: Spiders are predators, feeding primarily on insects and other arthropods. Although the exact details of the feeding strategies for spiders vary, all spiders predigest their prey by injecting or covering the prey item with digestive fluids, after… Read More
A: The house sparrow (Passer domesticus) is also called the English sparrow. This bird is possibly, the most widely distributed wild bird in the world. Its native range is Europe and much of Asia, but it has been… Read More
Air potato (Dioscorea bulbifera) is a vine in the true yam family native to Africa, south Asia, and northern Australia. It was introduced to the United States via the slave trade and reached Florida in 1905. Air potato… Read More
A: Mexican Petunia, Ruellia brittoniana, also called Britton’s wild petunia is classified as an invasive for Florida according to the Center for Aquatic and Invasive Plants (http://plants.ifas.ufl.edu/ruebri.html). It is sold in nurseries everywhere but it easily escapes into… Read More
Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum) is a perennial climbing fern native to East Asia. It was introduced to the southeastern U.S. as an ornamental in the early 1900s. Despite its attractive appearance, Japanese climbing fern is a Category… Read More
A: Most likely what you are now seeing is the Cuban brown anole, Anolis sagrei. Apparently this lizard was first detected in 1887 in the Florida Keys but has become fully established within the last 10 years. An… Read More
