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Category: Natural Resources

Crabapples and Sparkleberries Grow Wild in Wakulla

by BLOGS.IFASAvatar photo
June 26, 2015

Les Harrison is the UF/IFAS Wakulla County Extension Director There is a phenomenal difference between what grows in the wild and what we grow on farms. Thanksgiving turkey, for example: when compared to wild turkey, the difference is significant--most ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources
Tags: Apple, Community, Crab Apple, Crabapples, Environment, Florida, Food And Nutrition, General Information, Grow, Growing, Les Harrison, Native, Natural Resources, Natural Wakulla, Plants, Sparkle Berries, Sparkleberry, Trees, UF-IFAS, Wakulla, Wakulla CED, Wakulla County, Wakulla County Extension, Wakulla Extension, Wild

Barn owls threatened by Africanized bees in South Florida

by BLOGS.IFASAvatar photo
June 19, 2015

Belle Glade, Fla. --- Throughout the past two decades, University of Florida researcher Richard Raid has seen barn owl populations in the Everglades Agricultural Area, centered around Belle Glade, expand from mere dozens to more than 400 nesting ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS
Tags: Entomology, Entomology And Nematology, Everglades Research And Education Center, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, University Of Florida
Figure 1. Exposed African bee nest on a tree limb.

African Honey Bee: What You Need to Know

by Diana Hagan (she/her)
June 18, 2015

African honey bees entered the United States in the early 1990s and have since spread throughout the Southwest and Southeast, including parts of Florida. Compared to European bees, African bees are highly aggressive when disturbed and are more ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease
Tags: Africanized Honey Bee, Catherine M. Zettel Nalen, Entomology And Nematology Department, Glenn Hall, J. D. Ellis, Master Gardener Handbook
Cuban Brown Anole

Q: I don’t see the small green lizards here anymore. I used to see them all the time when I moved here ten years ago. They seem to have been replaced by a brown variety. What happened?

by Rebecca Jordi
June 17, 2015

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 increase in the population occurred ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Brown Anole, Critter Corner

“Zombie Flies” May Control Fire Ants

by BLOGS.IFASAvatar photo
June 17, 2015

Les Harrison is the UF/IFAS Wakulla County Extension Director Of the many nuisances that plague the county, fire ants may be at the top of the list. Their ability to survive and colonize is remarkable. Every effort to destroy the mound seems ... READ MORE

Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
Tags: Ants, Big Bend Bugs!, Bugs, Control, Environment, Fire Ants, Flies, Fly, General Information, Identification, Insects, Les Harrison, Pest, Pest Management, Phorid Fly, UF-IFAS, Wakulla, Wakulla CED, Wakulla County, Wakulla County Extension, Wakulla Extension, Zombie Fly

Prickly Invaders: Tropical Soda Apple and Spurweed

by BLOGS.IFASAvatar photo
June 12, 2015

Les Harrison is the UF/IFAS Wakulla County Extension Director Though tropical soda apple may sound like an exotic, fizzy drink, it is a conqueror of yards and gardens. Those little melon-like fruits may look cute, but the menacing thorns ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources
Tags: Agriculture, Environment, Farming, Florida, General Information, Growing, Horticulture, Invasive, Landscape, Lawn & Garden, Les Harrison, Master Gardener, Natural Wakulla, Pest, Pest Management, Prickly, Sand Spur, Soda Apple, Spur, Spurweed, Tropical Soda Apple, UF-IFAS, Wakulla, Wakulla Agriculture, Wakulla CED, Wakulla County, Wakulla County Extension, Wakulla Extension
Figure 1. A Florida panther. Credit: United States Fish and Wildlife Service National Digital Library

Managing Conflicts with Wildlife: Living with Panthers

by Diana Hagan (she/her)
June 12, 2015

Panthers help maintain populations of some native species and control nuisance species such as wild hogs. They are generally secretive and rarely bother people, but there are rare situations where panthers can become dangerous or damaging. In ... READ MORE

Category: Wildlife
Tags: Darrell Land, Eric Hellgren, Holly K. Ober, Lauren Watine, Mark Lotz, Panthers And Jaguars, Raoul Boughton, Wildlife Ecology And Conservation Department, William Giuliano

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