GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Vegetables of yesteryear may offer Florida farmers a brighter tomorrow, say University of Florida experts who'll be teaching a workshop on commercial production of trendy "heirloom" varieties this weekend. These crops ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Crops, Work & LifeCaption at end of story. Click here for full image. GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- It might be easy for the casual beachgoer to write off sea oats as mere weeds. However, the lanky grass holds the soil of beach dunes, making it a keystone of the natural ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Invasive Species, UF/IFASCaption at bottom of the page. Click here for full image. GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Dissecting owl pellets and reconstructing animal skeletons inside can be a gruesomely great educational experience for youngsters - so much so, that demand for ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS ExtensionThis imposing larva (caterpillar), known as the hickory horned devil, is most often observed when it is full grown and comes down from the trees to wander in search of a site for pupation. It can beome as large as a hot dog.This large caterpillar ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, WildlifeCaption at bottom. Click here for full image. The Caribbean spiny lobster is one of Florida's top commercial seafood species, with an annual $27 million harvest -- but a recently discovered virus is killing the crustaceans and threatening ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Food Safety, Invasive SpeciesThis giant ground wasp, the Cicada Killer, hunts cicadas as a food source for their young. This giant wasp can dig a 4-foot burrow in the ground with several branches and cells. One to four cicadas are placed in each cell for the larvae to eat.The ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, WildlifeClick here for high resolution image. GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- When it comes to fighting fires, it's usually the guy with the hose that gets all the hero worship. But as ever-increasing temperatures and droughts bring a greater threat from ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, CropsThe bite. Mosquito bites can be annoying, itchy, painful and in Florida even disease-causing. The most important mosquito-borne diseases in Florida are St. Louis encephalitis, West Nile virus encephalitis and eastern equine encephalitis. To ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, WildlifeCaption at bottom. Click here for high resolution image. GAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Invasive Cuban tree frogs are spreading through Florida, but a new University of Florida study suggests their impact could weaken as they move farther north, ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Invasive Species, Pests & DiseaseGAINESVILLE, Fla. --- Fuel isn't the only product derived from petroleum. Byproducts of the refining process are used to create other substances, such as plastics. However, in the race to replace our dependence on petroleum with biofuels, these ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Conservation, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research