Category: Wildlife

Through A Land Remembered, state’s fourth graders discover harsh conditions of pioneer life in Florida

by Brad Buck
December 9, 2025

Imagine 19th century Florida: sweltering heat with no air conditioning, swarms of mosquitoes, nights lit only by campfires and the harsh reality that any meat on your plate had to be hunted and killed by you. These gritty details aren’t ... READ MORE

Category: Curriculum, UF/IFAS, Wildlife, Work & Life
Tags: A Land Remembered, Agriculture, Bridget Stice, English & Language Arts, Fourth-grade Students, Historical Novel, Pioneers, Social Studies And Science Learning Standards., Spook Hill Elementary School, UF/IFAS Extension Polk County

New Moby Dick-like termite species discovered

by Lourdes Mederos
December 4, 2025

In the canopies of a South American rainforest, a tiny soldier termite has stunned a team of international scientists with its whale-like features. Cryptotermes mobydicki, the name given to the termite by the international research team ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Colombia, Cryptotermes, Cryptotermes Mobydicki, Department Of Entomology And Nematology, Discovery, Dominican Republic, Entomology, Evolutionary Story, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, French Guiana, Genus, Herman Melville, International Entomologists, Moby Dick, Neotropical, New Termite Species, News, Rainforest, Rudolf Scheffrahn, Soldier, Soldier Termite, South American Rainforest, Species, Sperm Whale, Termites, Trinidad, UF/IFAS, ZooKeys

’Tis the season for courting iguanas: Ask IFAS unwraps bilingual guide with timely tips

by Lourdes Mederos
December 2, 2025

Just in time for the holiday season — and the start of the iguana mating period — the University of Florida Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (UF/IFAS) has unwrapped a bilingual resource for living with one of Florida’s most ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Home Landscapes, Home Management, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Ask IFAS, Ask IFAS En Español, Bilingual, Damage, Florida Law, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Green Iguanas, Herbivores, Homeowners, Iguana, Invasive, Legal Considerations, Mating Period, News, Non-native, Personal Property, Plants, Resources, South Florida Landscape, Species, Spiny-tailed Iguanas, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Unprotected

Can invasive plants increase tick exposure risk? Scientists reveal a surprising link to human health

by Lourdes Mederos
November 12, 2025

An invasive grass found on almost every continent and considered a pest in 73 countries isn’t just weeding out native plants, it is creating a haven for disease-carrying ticks and raising public health risk concerns. A new University of ... READ MORE

Category: Agriculture, Blog Community, , Conservation, Crops, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, Health & Nutrition, Home Landscapes, Invasive Species, Lawn, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Agronomy Department, Ask IFAS, Cogongrass, Conservation Efforts, Disease, Drew Hiatt, Entomology And Nematology, Forest, Health, Human, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasion Science, Invasion Science Institute, Invasive Species, Lakeland, Lime Disease, Luke Flory, Mosquito, News, Rick, Southeast United States, Tick-borne, U.S> Forestry Service, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

Golden oyster mushrooms cultivated, sold in Florida: Scientist urges caution

by Lourdes Mederos
November 3, 2025

The golden oyster mushroom, with bright yellow pillowy caps, are a popular buy that are sold in grow-your-own kits as well as standard grocery stores, farmer and gourmet markets. A University of Florida researcher warns it is quietly invading ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, , Conservation, Forests, Invasive Species, Pests & Disease, Pests & Disease, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: Citizen Science, Culinary Connoisseurs, Culinary Mushroom Enthusiasts, Cultivating, Disrupt Ecosystems, Ecosystems, Farmer Market, Fungal Communities, Fungal Diseases, Golden Oyster Mushrooms, Gourmet Market, Grocery Stores, Grow-your-own Kits, Human Activities, INaturalist, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Invasive, Invasive Species, Michelle Jusino, Mushroom Observer, News, Research, School Of Forest Fisheries And Geomatic Sciences, Transporting, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida

EPA otorga una subvención a los científicos de UF/IFAS para apoyar la restauración de esponjas marinas y la mejora de la calidad del agua en el sur de Florida

by Luz Bahder
October 22, 2025

Creado por Lourdes Mederos, gerente de relaciones públicas en español para el Departamento de Comunicaciones de UF/IFAS. Ocultas bajo las olas del sur de Florida, las esponjas limpian silenciosamente las aguas al filtrar nutrientes, fortaleciendo ... READ MORE

Category: Blog Community, Coasts & Marine, Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Research, Water, Wildlife
Tags: Acuicultura De Restauración De Esponjas, Agencia De Protección Ambiental De Los Estados Unidos, Agentes De Extension, Aguas Costeras Poco Profundas, Ana Zangroniz, Ashley Smyth, Bahia De Biscayne, Beneficios De La Calidad Del Agua, Billy’s Point, Biscayne, Biscayne Bay, Calidad De Agua, Calidad Del Agua, Cayos De Florida, Centro Tropical De Investigación Y Educación, Denominación Común, Deterioro En La Calidad Del Agua, Ecosistemas Marinos, EPA, Espanol, Espojas, Esponja De Lana De Oveja, Esponjas, Estrés Ambiental, Filtradores, Filtrar, Filtros, Floraciones De Algas Nocivas, Florida, Florida Keys, Hábitat Costero De Florida, Identificación Científica, Identificación De Especies De Esponjas, Lisa Krimsky, Los Cayos De Florida, Nombre Cientifico, Nombre Comun, Parque Nacional Biscayne, Poliferos, Praderas Marinas, Proliferacion De Algas, Restauracion, Sea Grant, Servicio De Parques Nacionales, Servicios Ecosistémicos, Sheepwool Sponge, Shelly Krueger, Spanish, Taxonomía, TREC, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, University Of Florida Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Vida Marina

New Date: UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie Ag-Xtension Fall Festival moved to Nov. 15

by Lourdes Mederos
October 7, 2025

Due to forecasts of inclement weather this weekend, the UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie Ag-Xtension Fall Festival originally scheduled for Oct. 11 has been postponed to Nov. 15. Bring your families and friends to celebrate the season in cooler ... READ MORE

Category: 4-H & Youth, Agribusiness, Agriculture, Clubs & Volunteers, EVENTS, Florida-Friendly Landscaping, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: 4-H, 4-H Clubs, 4-H Extension St. Lucie, Ag-Xtension Fall Festival, Booths, Butterfly Garden, Everglades Equipment Group, Fall, Farm, Festival, Florida 4-H, Fort Pierce Utilities Authority, Gardening, Grantly Ricketts, Hayrides, Nature Trail, News, Open House, Plant Sale, Pony Rides, St. Lucie County Sheriff’s Department, St. Lucie County Transportation & Planning, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Extension, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County Master Gardener Volunteer Program, University Of Florida, Workshops

Wildlife ecologist busts myths about coyote behavior, including their predatory actions

by Brad Buck
September 9, 2025

Whenever Hance Ellington gets a chance, he likes to talk about the science of coyotes, including their behavior around other animals. Dispelling coyote myths is a passion for Ellington, an assistant professor of wildlife ecology and conservation ... READ MORE

Category: Wildlife
Tags: Behavior, Bites, Burmese Python, Cats, Cattle, Coyotes, Department Of Wildlife Ecology And Conservation, Dogs, Ecosystem, Food, Hance Ellington, Myths, Predators, Ranchers, Range Cattle Research And Education Center, Wildlife Ecologist

Researchers use AI to turn park reviews into science; findings reveal secret to parks people love

by Lourdes Mederos
August 21, 2025

Your five-star review of a park may have more weight than you think. Scientists just turned it into data, thanks to artificial intelligence (AI). Researchers at the University of Florida based in Fort Lauderdale used machine learning ... READ MORE

Category: Conservation, Natural Resources, SFYL Hot Topic, UF/IFAS, UF/IFAS Research, Wildlife
Tags: #AI, Artificial Intelligence, Cultural Ecosystem Services, Ecosystem Services, Fort Lauderdale Research And Education Center, Greenspaces, Jiangxiao Qiu, Nature, Parks, Sustainability, Wildlife

Who’s that critter? UF/IFAS wildlife series spotlights Florida’s native gopher tortoises

by Megan Winslow
August 13, 2025

Boasting more than 80 distinct ecosystems, Florida is a biodiversity hot spot. In fact, more than 4,000 animal species are native to the Sunshine State. (more…) READ MORE

Category: Conservation, UF/IFAS Extension, Wildlife
Tags: Animal, Burrow, Conservation, Critter, Environment, Extension Pinellas County, Florida Sea Grant, Gopher Tortoise, Habitat, IFAS, Institute Of Food And Agricultural Sciences, Katie Mastenbrook, Keystone Species, Megan Winslow, Threatened, UF, UF/IFAS, University Of Florida, Weedon Island Preserve, Who's That Critter?, Wildlife

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