Category: Natural Resources

August 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector

by Morgan Pinkerton
August 4, 2025

Recap of August 2025 First Friday with Florida First Detector Invasive Species Threatening Florida’s Palms In August, our monthly webinar took a deep dive into the world of invasive species affecting palms. From our neatly landscaped yards ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Crops, Farm Management, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Biosecurity, Early Detection, Eradication, FFD24-25, FloridaFirstDetector, Palms, SeminoleCountyAg
From left to right: aphid parasitoid wasp, whitefly parasitoid wasp larva, caterpillar parasitoid, predatory mite. Photo credits: caitlin Sollazzo

The Beneficial Insects You Don’t See

by Caitlin Sollazzo
August 4, 2025

When we talk about insect conservation, the conversation usually centers on “saving the bees.” But this often overlooks an entire world of tiny, unseen creatures that are just as vital to our ecosystems. These small, often overlooked arthropods, ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Horticulture, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Conservation, Florida Friendly Landscape, Gardening, Horticulture, Insects, Manatee County Extension, Microscopic

Success Story: UF/IFAS Extension Launches Pollinator Corridor in Tampa

by Tia Saracino
August 3, 2025

UF/IFAS Extension and Hillsborough County Parks partnered to create a pollinator corridor in the Carrollwood neighborhood of Tampa, FL with funding from the ‘Viva Florida’ grant. The Florida Wildflower Foundation funds planting of native ... READ MORE

Category: , Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Butterflies, Hillsborough County, Home Landscapes, Native Plants, Pollinators, Success Story, Tampa, Wildflowers
Douglas fir forest

Assisted by sniffer dogs and DNA sequencing, researchers discover three new truffle species

by Megan Winslow
August 1, 2025

University of Florida biologists studying fungal evolution and ecology have discovered three new truffle species, including one capable of commanding hundreds of dollars per pound within culinary circles. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Forests, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Appalachian Mountains, Benjamin Lemmon, Biologist, Biology, Cascadia, Cooking, Culinary, Delicacy, Discovery, DNA Sequencing, Dog, Douglas Fir, Fungal, Fungus, Genetic Testing, Great Smoky Mountains, IFAS, Imaia Kuwohiensis, Inaturalist, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Leucangium, Leucangium Carthusianum, Leucangium Cascadiense, Leucangium Oneidaense, Matt Smith, Matthew Smith, Megan Winslow, Morchellaceae, Oregon Black Truffle, Pacific Northwest, Pathology, Persoonia, Plant, Plant Pathology Department, Research, Rocky Mountains, Science, Sniffer Dog, Symbiotic Relationship, Truffle, UF, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida
A green, leafy pile of freshly washed purslane stems.

Purslane in the Garden

by Yvonne Florian
August 1, 2025

Summer vegetable-garden weeds can be a problem for gardeners.  It's too hot to check weed growth every afternoon.  And we really only have a few vegetable plants which will survive the heat of a Florida summer.  Deciding to let the garden ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Food Safety, Fruits & Vegetables, Home Landscapes, Home Management, Horticulture, Lawn
Tags: Eat The Weeds, Edible, Florida Foraging, Foraging, Free Vegetables, Nutrition, Pickling, Purslane, Weed Identification, Weeds, Wild Edibles
Tropical milkweed

De favoritas del jardín a amenazas ecológicas: por qué debemos replantearnos lo que plantamos?

by Sara MacDonald
August 1, 2025

No todas las plantas atractivas pertenecen al paisaje de Florida. Dos especies ornamentales comunes, Asclepias curassavica, conocida comúnmente como algodoncillo tropical o venenillo, y Tradescantia zebrina, también llamada planta cebra o ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Especies Invasoras, FISC, Florida Friendly Landscape, Mariposas, OE, Pollinators
Tropical milkweed

From garden favorites to ecological threats: Why we need to rethink what we plant

by Sara MacDonald
August 1, 2025

Not all pretty plants belong in Florida’s landscape. Two commonly ornamental plants, tropical milkweed (Asclepias curassavica) and zebra inchplant (Tradescantia zebrina), have recently raised red flags with scientists and conservationists ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Butterfly, FISC, Florida Friendly Landscape, Invasive Species, Milkweed, Native Plants, OE, Pollinators

¡Ayuda a combatir la enredadera invasora “papa voladora” en el condado de St. Lucie!

by Sara MacDonald
July 31, 2025

Ya llegó esa época del año en que la papa voladora comienza a brotar, y muchas personas se preguntan: ¿cómo podemos deshacernos de ella? ¿Qué es la papa voladora? La papa voladora (Dioscorea bulbifera) es una planta trepadora invasora ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Air Potato, Air Potato Leaf Beetle, Especies Invasoras, Florida Friendly Landscape, Integrated Pest Management, Manejo Integrado De Plagas, MIP
Abeja de miel recolectando polen en una flor morada y amarilla.

Científico ciudadano: Únase al conteo de polinizadores y ayude a las abejas

by Luz Bahder
July 31, 2025

Creado por Brad Buck, especialista sénior en relaciones públicas para UF/IFAS.  Aproximadamente el 70% de la producción agrícola mundial depende de insectos polinizadores para sobrevivir. Por eso, es útil saber cuántos polinizadores ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Abejas, Abejas Meliferas, Abejas Pequeñas, Abejorros, Agentes De Extension, Alabama, Avispas, Broward, Broward County, Carolina Del Norte, Censo, Censo De Polinizadores, Ciencia Ciudadana, Conservacion, Contar, Contenido De Betacaroteno, Conteo, Conteos, Entomologia, Español, Evento Regional, Florida, Georgia, Hábitat Sostenible, Inaturalist, INaturalist App, Insectos, Jardín, Jardineros, Jeremy Rhoden, Lorna Bravo, Marion, Marion County Extension, Mariposas, Moscas, Naturalistas, Observaciones, Patio, Polillas, Polinizadores, Polinizar, Spanish, UF-IFAS, Voluntarios

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