Category: Forests

Prescribed fire at the West Florida Research and Education Center forest, with a cogongrass patch embedded within a matrix of native habitat. Photo Credit – Photo by Alan Ivory UF/IFAS

What is helping some Florida wildfires burn hotter, spread faster?

by Lourdes Mederos
September 23, 2026

What is helping some Florida wildfires burn hotter and spread farther? A University of Florida study suggests cogongrass, an invasive grass that has spread across much of Florida and the Southeast United States, is adding more fuel to the ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research
Tags: Climate, Cogongrass, Florida Wildlifes, Invasive Species, News, Prescribed Fires, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Wildfires
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
Serpiente en primer plano entre la hierba y hojas del suelo, con la cabeza de color negro y naranja, escamas brillantes y la lengua bífida extendida mientras se desplaza por el entorno natural.

Descubriendo la Vida Silvestre: ¿Por qué la serpiente más larga de Norteamérica es una aliada y no una amenaza? La guía bilingüe de IFAS lo explica.

by Luz Bahder
May 14, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Acerca de esta serie La edición de este mes de Descubriendo la Vida Silvestre destaca a la serpiente índigo ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Descubriendo La Vida Silvestre, Drymarchon, Equilibrio, Esfuerzos De Conservación, Espanol, Especie Nativa, Hoja Informativa De Extensión ASK IFAS Sobre La Vida Silvestre De Florida Titulada: Serpiente índigo Oriental, Jefa Del Bosque, Legislación Federal, Pérdida De Hábitat, Serpiente índigo Oriental, Serpientes No Venenosas, Spanish, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences

Not all smoke signals danger. Research explains how Floridians can tell the difference using access to new tools

by Jamie Groh
May 12, 2026

As drought continues to dry out Florida’s landscapes and wildfires spread, smoke in the air can be hard to ignore. But experts with the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) say it may also be a sign ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Disaster Preparation, Forests, Natural Resources, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension
Tags: Air Quality, Controlled Burns, Drought In Florida, Featured, Fire Ecology, Fire Safety, Florida Fire Management, Florida Forests, Florida Wildfire Smoke, Florida Wildfires, Forest Management, Prescribed Burns, Prescribed Fire, Public Health And Smoke, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatics Sciences, Smoke Awareness, Smoke In Florida, Uf/ifas, Wildfire Preparedness, Wildfire Prevention, Wildfire Safety, Wildfire Smoke Guide
Una persona tomando una fotografía con su teléfono móvil de una planta en floración para su identificación y registro.

De la curiosidad a la conservación: Cómo la ciencia ciudadana enseña a niños y adultos a observar y experimentar la naturaleza

by Luz Bahder
April 13, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. A menudo, todo comienza con algo pequeño: un ave que nunca habíamos notado posada en una rama, una mariposa de ... READ MORE

Category: Coasts & Marine, Community Volunteers, Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Brittany Mason, Ciencia Ciudadana, Clima, Corey Callaghan, Descubrimiento, EBird, Espanol, Especies, Estudios De Campo, Extensión De UF/IFAS, Habitat, INaturalist, Involucrar, Monitoreo, Personas, Project Finder-SciStarter, Spanish, UF/IFAS
Brittany Mason and a student reporting and observing a non-venomous rat snake. Photo by Corey Callaghan

From curiosity to conservation: How citizen science is teaching children and adults to see, experience nature

by Lourdes Mederos
April 13, 2026

It often starts with something small, such as a new bird in a branch, a vibrant butterfly in a yard, a colorful plant growing through a crack in the sidewalk or as part of a lawn. Suddenly, you are engaged and can’t help but snap a ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, Recreation, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Beneficial Wildlife, BioBlitz, Brittany Mason, Changes, Changes In Ecosystems, Changes In Environment, Citizen Science, Citizen Science Month, Coexistence With Wildlife, Community, Corey Callaghan, Crowdsource, Curiousity, Department Of Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, EBird, Environmental Shifts, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Global Ecology, Habitat, Habitat Removal, Habitat Restoration, INaturalist, Learning, Observations, Seasonal Changes, Smartphone, Species Distributions, Urbanization, Water Quality, Wildlife, Wildlife Monitoring
Close-up of a dusty car window on a white vehicle.

The unwelcome dust that won’t quit: Pollen season hits with full force

by Brad Buck
March 17, 2026

Brace yourselves – the sneezing, the itchy eyes, the yellow-dust-on-every-surface season is here. And for most of you, it might mean more trips to the car wash. Pollen season in Florida, which peaks from January to June, is in full bloom. ... READ MORE

Category: Forests, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes
Tags: Allergies, Alyssa Vinson, Car Wash, Catkin, Clothes, Gardening, Genetic Diversity, Laurel Oaks, Lorna Bravo, Masks, Plants, Pollen, Pollinator-friendly Plants, Shannon Carnevale, Theresa Badurek, Trees, UF/IFAS Extension Broward County, UF/IFAS Extension Pinellas County, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County, Wind-pollinated, Yellow Powder
Una variedad de la planta nandina. Plantas ornamentales, de paisajismo, invasoras y no invasoras no nativas.

Para evitar plantar especies invasoras en su jardín, consulte primero este sitio web de UF/IFAS

by Luz Bahder
February 25, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Aspectos destacados ¿Alguna vez se preguntó si las plantas que elige para su jardín, especialmente las ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Alto Riesgo, Comision De Conservacion De Pesca Y Vida Silvestre De Florida, Ecosistemas, Espanol, Evaluación Gratuita, Evaluaciones, Invasoras, ISI, Jardin, La Evaluación De UF/IFAS Sobre Plantas No Nativas En Áreas Naturales De Florida, Luke Flory, Maestros Jardineros Voluntarios, Plantas, Plantas Invasoras, Semana Nacional De Concientización Sobre Especies Invasoras, Seokmin Kim, Sitio Web, Spanish, UF/IFAS, Vida Silvestre
Un collage de cuatro paneles de diferentes plantas ornamentales e invasoras: flores de color rosa brillante en forma de estrella agrupadas entre hojas verdes brillantes; una rama con flores tipo pompones de color rosa pálido y hojas parecidas a helechos; una planta de interior variegada y frondosa con hojas verdes y blancas cremosas en una maceta sobre un banco de metal y una planta rastrera con hojas rayadas en verde y plateado y pequeñas flores rosadas que crecen a lo largo del suelo.

¿Sabe qué plantas invasoras se venden con frecuencia en los viveros? Expertos de University of Florida identifican las ocho principales y explican por qué evitarlas

by Luz Bahder
February 11, 2026

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. El exuberante clima subtropical del sur de Florida favorece la jardinería y la vida al aire libre durante todo el ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Conservation, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Forests, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Acacia Persa, Albizia Julibrissin, Alcaloides Tóxicos, Almacenes, árbol De La Seda, Árbol De Mimosa, Asparagus Aethiopicus, Catharanthus Roseus, Consejos, Desplazamiento De La Vegetación Nativa, Diversidad Vegetal, Eichhornia Crassipes, Epipremnum Aureum, Espanol, Evaluación De Plantas No Nativas De UF/IFAS, Helecho Espárrago, Hiedra Del Diablo, Invasiva, Invasoras, Jacinto De Agua, Jardineros, Jeannie Schmidle, Kimberly Moore, Lantana, Lirio Acuático, Nativas, Nymphoides Indica, Planta De Agua, Planta De Nieve, Planta Zebra, Plantas, Plantas Invasoras En Florida Que Usted Debería Conocer, Plantas Nativas, Poto, Programa De Maestros Jardineros De UF/IFAS, Propagacion, Rooted In Florida De PBS South Florida, Schmidle, Spanish, Sur De Florida, Tóxica Para Las Mascotas, Tradescantia Zebrina, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS FLREC, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Vinca, Vinca De Madagascar, Viveros

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