Category: UF/IFAS

A streak of white lightning on a dark background.

Boom! That thunder signals lightning is near. Be ready with these safety tips

by Brad Buck
July 15, 2026

We’re entering the heart of Florida’s summer thunderstorm season, and the daily rumble of storms heralds one of nature’s most dangerous hazards: lightning.  The danger is far from theoretical. Of the 21 known fatalities reported nationwide ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Beach Safety, Florida Lightning Safety, Florida Summer Storms, Florida Weather, Fort Myers Beach Lightning, Lara Milligan, Lightning Awareness, Lightning Hazards, Lightning Injuries, Lightning Misconceptions, Lightning Prevention, Lightning Safety Florida, Lightning Safety Tips, Lightning Shelter, Lightning Strikes, Natural Resources Extension, Outdoor Recreation Safety, Outdoor Safety, Public Safety Education, Severe Weather Preparedness, Shannon Carnevale, Storm Safety, Summer Thunderstorms, Thunder And Lightning, Thunderstorm Preparedness, Thunderstorm Safety, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida, Weather Education, Weather Safety, When Thunder Roars Go Indoors, Wildfire Prevention

Yvonne‑Marie Linton Named Director of UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory 

by Meredith Bauer-Mitchell
July 15, 2026

Internationally respected mosquito- and vector-borne disease expert Yvonne-Marie Linton has been chosen as the new director for the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory ... READ MORE

Category: UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: AI Insect Identification, Biomedical Research, Blog Community, Chikungunya, Dengue Prevention, Disease Surveillance, Emerging Infectious Diseases, Entomology, Featured, Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, Florida Public Health, FMEL, Global Health, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Integrated Pest Management, Medical Entomology, Mosquito Prevention, Mosquito Research, Mosquito-borne Diseases, News, One Health, Oropouche Virus, Public Health Research, Smithsonian Institution, UF IFAS Research Leadership, Uf Research, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Florida Medical Entomology Laboratory, University Of Florida, Vector Control, Vector-borne Diseases, Vero Beach Florida, Walter Reed Biosystematics Unit, West Nile Virus, Yvonne-Marie Linton, Zika Virus Research

The Landscape Order of Operations: Water. Test. Fertilize—if needed.

by Lauren Spaduzzi
July 15, 2026

A simple guide to diagnosing landscape problems before reaching for fertilizer. When plants start looking unhealthy, it's tempting to reach for a bag of fertilizer. Yellowing leaves, stunted growth, or poor flowering often seem like obvious ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Lawn, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Teaching, Water
Tags: Central Florida, Fertilizer, Fertilizer Ordinances, Florida, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruit, Garden, Gardening, Hillsborough, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Irrigation, Landscape, Master Gardener, Soil PH, Soil Test, UF/IFAS Extension, Vegetable, Vegetable Gardening, Watering Efficiently
SFFGS Associate Professor Eben Broadbent works with a surveying drone at the Ocmulgee Mounds National Historic Park in Georgia.

Modern tech intersects with Native history in Ocumulgee Mounds study

by Wes Wolfe
July 14, 2026

Much of the research into 16th Century goings-on in the South sheds light on Native residents first through the eyes of the Europeans that encountered them, instead of Native peoples themselves.  An effort at the Lamar mounds in the Ocmulgee ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS
Tags: GatorEye, Geomatics, Historic Preservation, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, SPEC Lab
A white bug on a green leaf.

Media Alert: UF/IFAS Experts to Host Pasture Mealybug Webinar on July 17

by Jamie Groh
July 13, 2026

What: Experts from the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) and the Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (FDACS) are hosting an informational webinar on the invasive pasture ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Agricultural Pest Management, Agricultural Webinar, Blog Community, Crop Protection, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Entomology, FDACS, Featured, Featured Hot Topic, Florida, Florida Agriculture, Florida Extension, Florida Farmers, Forage Grasses, Forages, Insecticide Options, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sceinces, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive Pasture Mealybug, Invasive Pests, Invasive Species, Livestock Production, Mealybug Identification, Pasture Management, Pasture Mealybug, Pasture Mealybug Webinar, Pasture Pest Control, Sugarcane Pests, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, University Of Florida
Lance Osborne using an eye loupe to examine a flower in a Mid-Florida Research and Education center greenhouse.

Expert entomologist inducted into Integrated Pest Management Hall of Fame

by Stella Canfield
July 13, 2026

Lance Osborne at the UF/IFAS Mid-Florida Research and Education Center has been inducted into the 2026 Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Hall of Fame by the Southern IPM Center. As one of three selected for the honor, the award recognizes Osborne’s ... READ MORE

Category: Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Award, Biological Control, Integrated Pest Management, IPM, IPM Hall Of Fame, Lance Osborne, Southern IPM Center
Four college students doing the Gator Chomp in an empty football stadium, dental | Food Science and Human Nutrition UF/IFAS

Day in the Life: Nicholas Ranalletta, Nutritional Sciences and Pre-Dental Undergraduate Student

by Jessie Erwin
July 13, 2026

We're thrilled to welcome you back to our Food Science and Human Nutrition (FSHN): Day in the Life series! This series is part of our innovative UF/FSHN Careers Advancement Project (CAP), which captures what it's really like to earn degrees ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, UF/IFAS, Work & Life
Tags: Day In The Life, Nicholas Ranalletta, Nutritional Sciences, Nutritional Sciences Major, Nutritional Sciences Undergraduate, Nutritional Sciences Undergraduate Program, Nutritional-sciences-undergraduate-feature, Pre-dental Student, UF/FSHN CAP, UF/FSHN CAP Day In The Life, UF/FSHN Careers Advancement Project
Featured image: Adobe Stock File 291720491: Fallen tree hurricane tornado storm devastation. By Noel.

July 23: Get storm-ready at UF/IFAS workshop for HOA leaders, arborists, landscape industry, homeowners

by Lourdes Mederos
July 13, 2026

One poorly maintained tree can cause thousands of dollars in damage during a hurricane, leaving homes and neighborhoods devastated. On July 23, University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) is hosting “Be ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Disaster Preparation, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Arborist, Commercial Landscape, Disaster Preparation, HOA, Homeowners, Horticultural Sciences, Hurricane, Hurricane Impacts, Hurricane Preparedness, Hurricane Ready, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Landscape Management, News, Nurseries, Residential Tree Trimming, Severe Weather, Storm Damage, Tree Damage, Tree Trimming, Trees, UF-IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension Miami-Dade County, University Of Florida
Flags in a row

Camp USA: Celebrating 250 Years of America

by Abbey Tharpe
July 9, 2026

Taylor County 4-H recently wrapped up its third annual Camp USA: Celebrating 250 Years of America, and this year's camp held special significance as youth took part in activities and lessons leading up to America's 250th birthday. Throughout ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Camp, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: #TaylorCounty, 4-H, 4H Camp, America, America's 250th, Camp USA, Children, Florida, Summer Camp, UF/IFAS Extension, Youth

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