One of the biggest problems with beach vitex (Vitex rotundifolia) is its beauty. It has rounded, deep green leaves (with a silvery gray cast) and a beautiful little lavender-purple bloom. Like most weedy invasive plants,… Read More
There are often questions about who is responsible when storm-damaged trees end up on a neighbor’s property. UF IFAS Escambia County Extension discusses a few common situations using legal interpretations from the UF publication HANDBOOK… Read More
Six Rivers “Dirty Dozen” Invasive Species Torpedograss (Panicum repens) Define Invasive Species: must have all of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional… Read More
There must be a universal impulse in the animal kingdom to decorate. From prehistoric cave paintings to the countless home remodeling shows on TV, there is something timeless about transforming the place you live into… Read More
In the last lesson we discussed the ecology of the emergent grass community the salt marsh. This lesson we go beneath the waves to the submerged community of the seagrass meadow. But, like the salt… Read More
EDRR Invasive Species Land Snail (Bulimulus sporadicus) Define Invasive Species: must have ALL of the following – Is non-native to the area, in our case northwest Florida Introduced by humans, whether intentional or accidental… Read More
In our first lesson in ecology we mentioned that the type of sediment plays a big role in determining which plants will live in a particular community. If you visit a local salt marsh you… Read More
Every now and then, somebody sends in a “stump the expert” question, requiring further research, study, and a little experimentation to figure it out. I love these. Biology geek-wise, few things are more exciting than… Read More
As the name implies, they are haunting—long stretches of standing, dead trees with exposed roots. These “ghost forests” are an unsettling scene in unsettling times for the environment. While coastal erosion is a fact of… Read More
Some basics on ecology Let’s begin this unit by defining ecology. Ecology is the study of how organisms interact with their environment and with each other. For example, you can take the ecological community… Read More
