Category: Natural Resources

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
Flores blancas con centros amarillos crecen junto a un muro de piedra en una zona urbana, cerca de un camino pavimentado y vegetación.

Las ciudades de todo el mundo podrían servir de campo de entrenamiento para especies invasoras

by Luz Bahder
September 21, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Ante el crecimiento urbano y la expansión de las ciudades, ¿podrían estos paisajes en transformación otorgar ... READ MORE

Category: Invasive Species, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Entornos Urbanos, Espanol, Especies Invasoras, Luke Flory, Spanish, University Of Florida Invasion Science Institute, Urbanización
Two people shaking hands.

Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources announces Class XIII

by Chris Vivian
September 15, 2026

The Wedgworth Leadership Institute for Agriculture and Natural Resources (WLIANR) has selected 30 participants for Class XIII of its two-year leadership development program. The program is designed for emerging agriculture and natural resources ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Natural Resources, Professional Development
Tags: UF/IFAS, Wedgworth Leadership Institute
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
Una persona con bata blanca y guantes protectores examina plantas de hojas verdes en un cultivo, mientras sostiene una carpeta con documentos.

Una iniciativa de UF impulsa el apoyo a la investigación de respuesta rápida contra amenazas invasoras para la agricultura de Florida

by Luz Bahder
September 14, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Cuando aparece una nueva plaga invasora o una enfermedad vegetal, los científicos disponen de muy poco tiempo para actuar ... READ MORE

Category: Agribusiness, Agriculture, Crops, Events, Farm Management, Horticulture, Invasive Species, Livestock, Pests & Disease, Turf
Tags: Desafío 250, Espanol, Especies Invasoras, Homestead, One Night In The Tropics, Spanish, Una Noche En El Trópico
11. The margined calligrapher (Toxomerus marginatus) did not shift its activity timing in relation to human modification. 12. Photo Credit – Corey T. Callaghan

Pollinators keep a later calendar in human-modified landscapes — A UF study explains the phenomenon

by Lourdes Mederos
September 9, 2026

Human development may be changing more than where pollinators live — it may also be changing when they are active. University of Florida researchers at the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) found that pollinator ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Conservation, Ecology, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Human Development, INaturalist, Nature, Pollinators, Special Topics, UF/IFAS
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 Laboratory, 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
Natural Area Teaching Laboratory boardwalk covered in high water. Photo taken 06-25-21.

NSF awards UF $1.79M grant to harness AI-powered environmental forecasting with help from HiPerGator

by Lourdes Mederos
August 25, 2026

Water and carbon are key resources people rely on every day, from the availability of drinking water and preventing floods to storing carbon in forests and wetlands. The National Science Foundation has awarded a $1.79 million grant to ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Artificial Intelligence, Conservation, Flood, HiPerGator, Jiangxiao Qiu, National Science Foundation, Research, The Water Institute
Primer plano de una mariposa monarca con las alas parcialmente extendidas sobre flores amarillas, junto a una abeja de cuerpo negro y alas transparentes que se acerca a otra flor. El fondo es azul y desenfocado, lo que resalta a los dos polinizadores y las flores.

UF/IFAS invita a los residentes de Florida de todas las edades a participar en el Gran Censo de Polinizadores del Sureste del 21 al 22 de agosto

by Luz Bahder
August 11, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. ¿Qué pasaría si proteger a los polinizadores fuera tan fácil como pasar 15 minutos observando un jardín de flores? Del ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Events, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Home Landscapes, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Censo De Polinizadores, Espanol, Gran Censo De Polinizadores Del Sureste, Spanish

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