Monthly Archives: February 2016

NISAW 2016 – Working together to remove Giant Salvinia (Salvinia molesta) from Northwest Florida

    Matthew Phillips and Scott Jackson – UF/IFAS Extension and Research works with many partners supporting invasive species management actions and strategies across Florida. One key partner is the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conserva­tion Commission (FWC), Invasive Plant Management … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Air Potato Leaf Beetle, a Biological Control for Air Potato

Air potato (Dioscores bulbifera) is a perennial, herbaceous self-twining vine that can grow over 60 feet in length, enabling it to climb over and smother many native plants. The Florida Exotic Plant Pest Council (FLEPPC) lists air potato as a … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Tropical Soda Apple

Florida ranchers know Tropical Soda Apple (TSA) as the “Plant from Hell”. It was first noticed in south Florida, but its seeds survive in the digestive tract of animals and it spread north through the movement of hay and cattle. … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Tiger Prawn (Penaeus monodon) “Lions in the Gulf and Tigers in the Bay”

  Giant Tiger Prawn (Penaeus monodon): This catchy phrase coined by Robert Turpin (Escambia County Marine Resources Division) describes a recent invader to our marine waters in the past decade. Many coastal residents are aware of the invasive lionfish that has … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Climbing Ferns

  Japanese Climbing Fern (Lygodium japonicum) and Old World Climbing Fern (Lygodium microphyllum) are presently the only non-native invasive ferns in Florida. Both ferns reproduce and spread readily by wind-blown spores. Animals, equipment, and even people that move through an area with … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Controlling Weeds in Your Pond: Water Hyacinth

Libbie Johnson UF IFAS Escambia County Extension Northwest Florida can be a pond owner’s paradise. There is usually enough rainfall to keep ponds filled, catfish, bass, and brim are well adapted to the environmental conditions, and there is a long … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Beach Vitex in the Florida Panhandle

In 2013 we began writing about a potential invasive plant in the Florida panhandle called Beach Vitex (Vitex rotundifolia). The first record we knew of was reported from Pensacola Beach and was posted on EDDmaps.org. According to this website only … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Chinese Tallow Tree

Benjamin Franklin has been blamed for introducing the invasive Chinese Tallow tree to the Southeast when he mailed seeds to a planter after one of his trips to London in the late 1700’s. However, recent DNA work has traced the … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – Coral Ardisia, A Pretty Problem

Coral Ardisia (Ardisia crenata) Coral ardisia is also known as coral berry, spice berry, and scratchthroat. It was introduced into Florida in the early 1900’s for ornamental purposes.   In the ensuing years it has since escaped cultivation and become … Continue reading

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NISAW 2016 – An Update on the Lionfish Situation in the Panhandle

Lionfish (Pterois volitans):   An Update on the Lionfish Situation in the Panhandle In the past couple of years, we have posted articles about the lionfish during NISAW week.  A question we hear more now is – “how is lionfish … Continue reading

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