Tag: Invasive Species

Invasive daisy fleabane (Erigeron annuus) growing out of cracks in the pavement in a highly urbanized area of Zagreb, Croatia. Photo by S. Luke Flory.

Cities worldwide may be the ultimate training grounds for invasive species

by Lourdes Mederos
September 21, 2026

With city growth and urban sprawl, could these changing landscapes be giving invasive species a competitive edge? Scientists at the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) say the answer may be yes, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Climate Change, Environment, Invasive Species, Luke Flory, Top News, UF-IFAS, University Of Florida Invasion Science Institute, Urban Sprawl
Dr. Jorge E. Pena, professor of entomology and nematology and PhD. student Daniel Carrillo, UF's Tropical Research and Education Center, Homestead, FL evaluating infestations of the red palm mite. 2010 Annual Research Report Photo.

UF launches initiative to support rapid-response research when invasive pests threaten Florida agriculture

by Lourdes Mederos
September 14, 2026

When a new invasive pest or plant disease appears, scientists have a small window of opportunity to address the threat before it spreads and becomes a much larger problem, potentially devastating Florida's agriculture, nursery industries, natural ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, Crops, Events, Fruits & Vegetables, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS
Tags: Agriculture, Challenge 250, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Nursery, One Night In The Tropics, Rapid-response, Safeguard Ecosystems, Top News
Dr. Lawrence Reeves, inspecting a bag of mosquitoes collected with an aspirator (essentially a vacuum for mosquitoes) from boulders at Cochise Stronghold, Dragoon Mountains, Cochise Co., Arizona. 15. Photo Credit: Photo: Dan Killingsworth

Mosquito species known only from Mexico recorded in U.S. for first time

by Lourdes Mederos
September 8, 2026

While most people may associate mosquitoes with Florida’s swamps, Arizona’s deserts and mountains are also home to a surprising variety of mosquito species. A University of Florida mosquito scientist has documented one of those species ... READ MORE

Category: Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Florida, Florida Medical Entomology Lab, Invasive Species, Lawrence Reeves, Mosquito, Mosquito Diversity, Mosquito-borne Disease, Public Health, Top News
Photo of interns while capturing tegus, surveying alligator nests and capturing pythons.

Fighting Florida’s invasive species, UF/IFAS interns are on the front lines gaining hands-on experience

by Lourdes Mederos
August 27, 2026

From tracking pythons in Big Cypress National Preserve to trapping invasive tegus in South Florida, University of Florida students are stepping out of the classroom to gain hands-on experience in some of the state's most vulnerable ecosystems ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Invasive Species, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Argentine Black And White Tegu, Coservation, Ecosystems, Everglades National Park, Invasive Species, Pythons, Wildlife
a patch of invasive cogongrass in a pine stand

Florida Land Steward Update, August 21, 2026

by Chris Demers
August 21, 2026

  FALL IS A GOOD TIME TO TREAT THAT COGONGRASS If dealing with a patch of cogongrass is on your to-do list, it’s time to get ready for that treatment. The best time to treat cogongrass is during the fall months, which of course can ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Disaster Preparation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Cogongrass, Drought, Florida Land Steward Program, Forest Landowner Academy, Hurricane Preparation, Hurricane Recovery, Hurricane Season, Invasive Species, Landowner Assistance, Loblolly Pine, Ranchers, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Wild Turkey
Urban Forestry Summit attendees on a tour of the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory.

NATL, not to be overlooked

by Wes Wolfe
August 6, 2026

It can be missed sometimes, considering the attention the Austin Cary Forest receives, but the Natural Area Teaching Laboratory (NATL) is one of UF’s hidden treasures. Organizers of the recent Urban Forestry Summit in Gainesville made ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS
Tags: Austin Cary Forest, Florida Urban Forestry Council, Forest, Forestry, Invasive Species, NATL, Natural Area Teaching Laboratory, Prescribed Fires, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, SFFGS, Trees, Urban Forestry, Urban Forestry Extension, Urban Forestry Summit
Person seated beside a stereomicroscope in a laboratory workspace, facing the camera. Shelving, labeled containers, laboratory supplies, buckets with marker flags, and scientific equipment are visible throughout the room, with the microscope positioned prominently on the workbench in the foreground.

Intern Profile: Cassidy Dalton’s Journey in Research and Learning

by Joe McQueen
August 4, 2026

Cassidy Dalton, an undergraduate student at the University of Florida studying environmental management, natural resources and agriculture, has spent her summer as an intern at the Hayslip Biological Control Research and Containment Laboratory, ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Pests & Disease, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Biological Control, Intern, Invasive Species, Pasture Mealybug

Exotics vs Native Plants in a Florida Landscape

by Mark Hostetler
August 3, 2026

In Florida and elsewhere, cities are a mixture of exotic and native species. These novel or “recombinant ecosystems” represent unique plant and animal communities that have been purposely or accidentally created by humans. The question posed ... READ MORE

Category: , Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Invasive Species, Lawn, Turf, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Conservation, Environmental Landscaping, Invasive Species, Native Plants, Wildlife

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