The goal of a good compost pile is to turn dead plant material into humus, the black or brown material that is formed when organic matter is decomposed. Many organisms play a part in breaking down this organic matter, from microscopic bacteria, ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, Horticulture
I spent this past Saturday working at a "Pollination Celebration" held at the Panhandle Butterfly House. Located for over 20 years in Navarre, they’re now in the heart of downtown Milton, Florida. The facility is centered in a restored ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Natural Resources
Nicole Quinn, assistant professor of entomology and nematology and expert in biological control at the UF/IFAS Indian River Research and Education Center (IRREC), was awarded a farm bill grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) to ... READ MORE
Category: Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
I was recently in coastal North Carolina with Extension colleagues from around the country. In addition to attending presentations on natural resource programming, we attended field tours built into the meeting. I joined a group visiting ... READ MORE
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If you ask most people, they can probably tell you their favorite animal. But it’s mostly us true botany dorks who will drop the Latin name of their favorite tree. For a long time, it was Quercus virginiana (live oak) for me. Sturdy ... READ MORE
Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources
It’s that time again – No Mow March. This is a chance to give the mower and the bees a break. This will be the fourth year we have promoted the No Mow March campaign, which started based on an idea received from a Leon County citizen in ... READ MORE
Category: Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Lawn
When maintaining a garden, knowing the difference between your enemies and the “good guys” is half the battle. Once, I was teaching a group of landscape maintenance folks about beneficial insects, and quizzed them on their bug identification ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources
In the 1950’s 60’s the screwworm was an ongoing burden with livestock but over years with research, breeding sterile male flies and monitoring it was eliminated in United States. Then in 2016 they were detected in Monroe County that wiped ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Farm Management, Livestock, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension,
I have never come across the brilliantly colored rough green snake (Opheodrys aestivus) in the wild before, but our Master Naturalist class was introduced to a member of this species during the fight of its life yesterday. We took a trip ... READ MORE
Category: Natural Resources, Wildlife
Vegetable production season brings a bounty of food for us and, unfortunately, also for crop pests. Thankfully, many naturally occurring beneficial insects, fungi, nematodes, wildlife, and other organisms (AKA beneficials) find their food forest ... READ MORE
Category: Agriculture, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Extension