Attractive red berries entice homeowners to use as a landscape plant but coral ardisia can quickly dominate adjacent natural areas. photo courtesy of Les Harrison
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 it escaped cultivation and has become established in hardwood hammocks and other moist woods of natural areas and grazing lands. Populations can currently found in Florida, Louisiana and Georgia.
This evergreen sub-shrub reaches a height of 1.5 to 6 feet and tends to grow in multi-stemmed clumps. Leaves are alternate, 8 inches long, dark green above, waxy, without hairs, and have scalloped margins and calluses in the margin notches. Flowers are typically pink to white in stalked axillary clusters, usually drooping below the foliage. The fruit is a bright red, globose, single-seeded berry, measuring approximately 0.25 inches in diameter. White-berried populations are also known to exist.
Coral ardisia is classified a Category I weed on the Florida Exotic Pest Plant Council Invasive Plant List. Control of coral ardisia may be accomplished by two methods. A low-volume foliar application of Garlon 4 or Remedy provides suppression of this plant. Complete foliar coverage is essential to success and re-treatment will be necessary for complete control. Basal bark applications with Garlon 4 or Remedy in an oil carrier can also be utilized for suppressing this invasive weed. Do not apply more than 8 quarts of Remedy or Garlon 4 per acre and treat no more than ten percent of the total grazed area if applying greater than two quarts per acre.
For local assistance, contact your county UF IFAS Extension office.
For more information contact Les Harrison, UF/IFAS Extension Wakulla County – Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agent by phone at 850-926-3931.
Will Sheftall Natural Resources Agent with UF/IFAS Extension Leon County exams the impacts of invasive coral ardisia on local urban forests in Northwest Florida.
Wild Hogs(Sus scrofa):
Wild Hogs, also called Feral Hogs, are not native to the U.S. Wild hogs are highly adaptable and can find suitable habitat easily. Wild hogs can be all shapes, sizes and colors since they are hybrids of many different breeds. Wild hogs sometimes resemble their domestic relatives but sometimes resemble their Eurasian backgrounds.
Wild hogs are probably the most prolific large mammals in the world. They reach sexual maturity at a young age. Females have multiple litters of 3-8 piglets per year. Natural mortality rates are low. Wild hog females and young live and travel in groups called sounders. Sounders typically have 1 to 3 adults and several young. When females reach maturity, they either stay with the sounder or they go out and form a new sounder with other young females. Young males leave the sounder alone at about 16 months.
Wild hogs are opportunistic omnivores that feed by rooting and grazing. This rooting behavior is why we consider them to be a pest. The impact of wild hogs on the environment is soil erosion, decreased water quality, spread of other invasive plants, damage to agricultural crops, and damage to native plants and animals. They have been documented as threats to threatened and endangered species. They can significantly impact populations of reptiles, amphibians, small mammals, ground nesting birds and even deer.
Wild hogs pose a health risk to humans because they can carry numerous diseases and parasites. Care should be taken when handling wild hogs. Wear gloves, cover any open wounds, and wear clothing that can be cleaned thoroughly.
Wild hog damage to pond bank. Photo by Jennifer Bearden
Human hunting is the most significant cause of mortality in wild hogs, although hunting alone will not control hog populations in a good habitat. The most effective way to remove wild hogs from a location is a combination of trapping and shooting.
In Florida, wild hogs may be hunted year round on private land (with permission of the landowner) and at night with no permit required. Hogs may be trapped year round. Wild hogs cannot be trapped and released onto public land. Trapped wild hogs can only be transported with a permit from FDACS) to slaughter or to an approved Feral Swine Holding Facility. For more information on Wild Hogs, go to: http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/uw322 and http://www.myfwc.com/hunting/by-species/wild-hog/ .
Lawn care service providers applying fertilizer to Florida landscapes are now required to complete best management training. Photo credit: UF IFAS
Fertilizer becomes a problem in the environment when either too much is applied or it is used at the incorrect rate or wrong time. Rain or irrigation water can move these nutrients (remember, fertilizer is mostly composed of nitrogen, potassium, and phosphorus) off target, leaching them into the soil and groundwater or running off into surface waters.
Once in a creek, lake, river, or bay, this fertilizer intended to improve growth of turf or landscape plants instead fuels the growth of algae. In certain conditions this causes eutrophication, an overabundance of algae growth which gives water bodies a green, scum-covered appearance. As this plant material eventually breaks down, it uses up oxygen in the waters below, reducing the amount available for fish and other aquatic species. These scenarios can lead to fish kills and reduced water quality.
A body of water receiving excess nutrients can turn green and unhealthy from too much algae growth. Photo Credit: UF IFAS FFL program
The new legislation encourages professional lawn care staff to take a day-long course covering these concepts, and additional topics such as irrigation, pest management, and proper landscaping practices. The course, offered online and in every UF IFAS Extension office, prepares the audience for the test and certification, and gives useful tips and information for their everyday work.
Several counties, most recently Escambia, have passed local ordinances echoing the requirement to have this license when seeking a business tax certification to operate a lawn care service (providing fertilizer) in the county. In addition, local ordinances typically have a “prohibited application period,” which may involve a particular time of the year or weather condition. The ordinances also restrict blowing or sweeping lawn debris into storm drains, which can cause the same water quality problems as excess fertilizer. Visit the GI-BMP website to learn more about the program, and if you, friends, or neighbors use a professional lawn care service to fertilize your lawn, be sure to ask for proof of their fertilizer license.
Those who have lived in the Panhandle area for many years will remember the days when our local bayous were places people water skied, kids learned to swim, and fishermen brought home plenty of speckled trout. But today we see little of this. Water quality within our bayous has declined to a point that the general public is concerned about recreation within them and most use them as access to larger bodies of water where they can enjoy water activities.
What Happened?
The mouth of Bayou Grande near Navy Point; a popular recreation location
Those who lived here when things were better say they first noticed problems when new roads and subdivisions were built in the 1950’s. Decline in water clarity was one of the first things they noticed. This was followed by a loss of submerged grasses, fish kills, and an increase in health advisories due to high levels of bacteria. These new subdivisions cleared much of the native vegetation in the neighborhoods and along the water front. The loss of vegetation and new roads allowed for more runoff to reach the bayous. Much of this runoff was in the form of leaf litter, twigs, animal waste, and maybe even carcasses of dead creatures. Once reaching the water these organics are broken down by bacteria into forms of nitrogen and phosphorus that can be utilized by aquatic plants and phytoplankton. This increase in plants will produce more oxygen, but they also consume oxygen in the evening. The high demand for oxygen in the evening can cause dissolved oxygen levels to decline to a point where aquatic life begins stressing; we now say the water is hypoxic. To add to the problem people began to have the desire for lawns of non-native grasses which require fertilizer and watering; thus increasing the nutrient load on the system and an increase in hypoxia. This eutrophication process was a major contributor to the fish kills that the bayous were experiencing.
In addition to nutrients, animal waste could be found in the stormwater. Animal waste can contain pathogensthat could be a serious risk to public health. Scientists monitor the concentration of these pathogenic bacteria by using a group of indicator bacteria called fecal coliformbacteria. High levels of these fecal coliforms indicate that a potential health risk could be present and the Escambia County Health Departmentwould issue a health advisory for that body of water. A study showed that the concentration of fecal coliforms increased in areas where coastal development increased, connecting them to stormwater problems.
So What Can We Do?
Marine Science Academy students from Washington High School measuring chlorophyll in Bayou Texar; photo: Ed Bauer
We will probably never be able to get the bayous back to the state they were in before the development boom of the mid-20th century but there are few things we can do.
First, the reason the nutrients and fecal coliforms increased was an increase in runoff. This increase was due to road construction and loss of vegetation. We cannot do much about the roads but we can rethink how we landscape our yards and waterfront property.
The Florida Friendly Yards Programis one that helps residents with selecting plants and landscaping features that require little or no fertilizer or water. This not only reduces the runoff but saves the homeowner money. Rain barrels and rain gardens are also methods that can both reduce water runoff and save money. For more information on this program you can contact Carrie Stevenson at the Escambia County ExtensionOffice; 850-475-5230 or ctsteven@ufl.edu.
Shoreline vegetation can be restored through the Living Shoreline Program. In this program the Florida Department of Environmental Protection works with the homeowner on designing a shoreline marsh and/or oyster reef project. Living Shorelines utilize plants that remove much of the nutrients found in runoff and oysters are known to filter 50 gallons of water per day, reducing turbidity typically caused by runoff. Not only do Living Shorelines reduce nutrient runoff, they also reduce erosion caused by wave energy. For more information on Living Shorelines contact Beth Fugate at beth.l.fugate@dep.state.fl.us.
Planting a Living Shoreline on Bayou Texar in Pensacola; photo: Florida Department of Environmental Protection
A third program that can help bring back the bayou is the Clean Marina / Vessel Program. This program is through the Florida Department of Environmental Protection. For more information contact Jeanne Williams at Jeanne.Williams@dep.state.fl.us.
We hope you will consider using one of these programs to help improve the water quality within our bayous. If you are interested in having a presentation on these programs contact Rick O’Connor at the Escambia County Extension Office; 850-475-5230 or roc1@ufl.edu.
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