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...
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...
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 season to catch...
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 two other records...
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 invasive strain to federal scientists’...
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 established...
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 management going?” First, they are...
National Invasive Species Awareness Week 2016
Invasive species are non-native or exotic species that do not naturally occur in an area, cause economic or environmental harm, or negatively impact human health. These invasive species have become the number one threat to biodiversity on protected lands. However,...
From Fear to Fascination: White Sharks in the Panhandle
From Fear to Fascination: White Sharks in the Florida Panhandle UF/IFAS Extension – Florida Sea Grant By Rick O’Connor (Escambia County) and L. Scott Jackson (Bay County) Recently, I was walking on our local Gulf fishing pier checking fishing line recycle bins. You...
Nature Tourism in the Panhandle – Intracoastal Waterway (ICW) – Pensacola Beach
All Photos by Molly O'Connor We began our series on Nature Tourism along the ICW at the Alabama state line on Perdido Key and discussed the ICW itself. This month we will continue in Escambia County with a visit to Pensacola Beach. BARRIER ISLANDS Pensacola...