UF/IFAS GLOBAL BLOGS
When polar bears began showing up in Russian Siberia this year, experts suggested climate change may be a cause. Higher temperatures were melting ice in the Arctic, which polar bears rely on to hunt. The hungry bears had… Read More
Crapemyrtles are a beauty to behold in any landscape. They are popular landscape plants in Florida because of their ease of propagation, lengthy blooming period, ability to grow under a range of soil conditions, and are relatively inexpensive…. Read More
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Florida’s climate supports the growth of all varieties of plants, from native to exotic species. But University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences experts have long worked to educate the public on identifying… Read More
Love and Hate Facebook gardening groups will light up at the mention of Mexican Petunia, Ruellia simplex. Comments like “Worst weed ever!”, “My favorite plant!”, “Invasive! Pull it out quickly!”, and “It’s so easy to grow, I love… Read More
Silent Invaders When we think of things as being invasive we often imagine something like water Hyacinths covering every inch of a waterway or acres of Brazilian Peppers blocking out the sun where nothing else will grow. Invasive… Read More
By Dr. Christopher Kerr1 and Dr. Carey Minteer2 1: Division of Plant Industry, Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services, Gainesville FL 2: University of Florida, Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, Indian Rover Research and Education Center,… Read More
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Stormwater ponds are prevalent throughout Florida’s urban and residential landscapes, but University of Florida researchers are looking into whether these engineered ecosystems support the spread of invasive plant species. An ongoing UF Institute of Food… Read More
For decades, Florida communities have battled invasive plants on land and water. These plants disrupt native ecosystems and livelihoods, and more arrive each year. Now a new study from the University of Florida and The Nature Conservancy shows… Read More
For their Florida Master Naturalist Uplands course final project, Marko Sillanpaa and Chloe Lloyd conducted observational research on Agama agama on the Florida Treasure Coast. I served as overall course instructor and Ellen Butler served as their final project… Read More
Scientists with the University of Florida and the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) have found that Burmese pythons are occupying bird nesting areas in the Everglades, suggesting that pythons are attracted to wading birds where they breed. These findings… Read More
