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Invasive plants can threaten native species by changing seasonal animal behavior

June 16, 2022
Invasive plants don’t just outcompete native plants but can also change animal behavior in ways that disadvantage native plants as well. Invasive cogongrass is a problem in longleaf pine ecosystems. A new study found that when cogongrass invaded longleaf pine ecosystems, cotton rats consumed more of the trees’ seeds than they did in areas without cogongrass. The study found…

Everything you need to know about One Health

June 16, 2022
Last March, the  United Nations Environment Programme  (UNEP) joined the  Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations  (FAO), the  World Health Organization  (WHO), and the  World Organization for Animal Health  (OIE) to constitute the  Quadripartite alliance for One Health  (see the  previous blog post  on this event). Shortly after, they issued a  new definition…

Lead in Drinking Water

June 15, 2022
Lead contamination poses a serious threat to drinking water safety. Both U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) agree that Lead is harmful to health, especially for children. There is no known safe level of lead in a child’s blood. Taking action to reduce these exposures can improve…

Common Wetland Types Found in Florida

June 15, 2022
Common wetland types found in Florida include: Descriptions of wetland types: Deep (salt) marsh Cypress dome Wet prairie Hydric hammock Hardwood swamp (bottomland) Cypress wetland Open water Shallow marsh Bayhead All wetland type description are taken from the Florida Natural Areas Inventory The illustration comes from an out of print publication by Lake County…

I smell a sweet almond in your future!

June 14, 2022
What the sweet almond bush lacks in shape and foliage, is more than made up in aroma While many of our landscape plants are visually appealing with colorful foliage and flowers, there is another dimension to explore – aroma.  One of the best plants to help with this is the sweet almond bush.  This somewhat new…

Bluefish of the Florida Panhandle

June 13, 2022
“Bluefish!” … “It’s just a school of bluefish!”  So yelled the lifeguard in Jaws II when Chief Brody mistaken a school of bluefish for the rogue great white shark that was plaguing the town.  He would not have been the first to mistake these large schools for a larger fish, particularly a predatory shark, but…

My Internship Shadowing Experience: Nighttime Sea Turtle Walk

June 11, 2022
 My Internship Shadowing Experience: Nighttime Sea Turtle Walk  Blog written by Sean MacWilliam, UF/IFAS Extension St. Lucie County Summer 2022 Intern. Photo courtesy of Sean MacWilliam.My Background My name is Sean MacWilliam and I was born and raised in coastal SE Florida. I am currently a senior at the University of Florida studying Forest Resources…

Upside down hedges

June 10, 2022
Bare lower branches typical of improper hedge pruning,Using shrubs or small trees to make hedges is a common landscape practice in our area.  Hedges – whether formal or informal – make great ornamental living screens, barriers and buffers that add to the attraction and utility of our home grounds.  Beyond installing hedges, the care and…

Considering bamboo? Know the risks before you plant

June 9, 2022
Considering bamboo? Know the risks before you plant “Dendrocalamus asper (Serres de la Madone) leaf” by Tangopaso – Self-photographed. Licensed under Public domain via Wikimedia CommonsBy Deah Lieurance, UF/IFAS CAIP affiliate faculty member Recently, interest has resurfaced in the possibility of growing bamboo in Florida as a biomass crop. Bamboo has been called “green gold”…

Water Quality Series: Metals

June 9, 2022
What are they and where do they come from? Metals are substances naturally found in the earth’s crust. Humans have used them extensively throughout history. Metals are so crucial for human civilization that historians have even named entire periods of history after them. Take the Bronze age, for example; this time period was characterized by…

Brewers savor the candy flavor of some Florida-grown hops

June 8, 2022
 Brewers like the flavor and aroma that come from Florida-grown Cascade hops, says a University of Florida Extension agent. They say it tastes a little like candy. Matt Smith admits his sample size is small thus far – only seven brewers — but he’s excited by what he’s hearing from those who make craft beers.…
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