This publication is the first in a three-part series designed as a resource for turfgrass professionals, Extension specialists, and clientele, offering a practical overview of foundational concepts and identifying key factors that contribute to incidents of herbicide underperformance across warm-season turfgrass systems. While examples and management considerations are drawn primarily from Florida turfgrasses, the principles discussed are broadly applicable to other warm-season turf regions. This installment focuses specifically on how plant biology and related factors influence herbicide efficacy and safety. Written by Pawel Petelewicz, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Agronomy, July 2026.
The Oriental Scale, Aonidiella orientalis (Newstead, 1894), is a highly polyphagous armored scale insect, affecting 202 genera across 90 plant families, and is widely distributed across 72 countries. This insect may be found on the leaves, branches, trunks, shoots, and fruits of its host plants. Aonidiella orientalis is regarded as a serious plant pest in various regions of the world, causing significant economic losses to numerous important crops, including citrus, figs, mangoes, papayas, bananas, palms, tea, and some ornamental plants. This article provides an overview of this insect's biology, ecology, identification, distribution, and management.
This publication outlines the care and planting considerations of milkweed utilized to attract monarch butterflies in Florida. Its intended audience is the general public, cooperative Extension agents, landscape professionals, nursery growers, and other green industry professionals who are interested in planting milkweed or designing gardens containing milkweed to attract monarch butterflies.
Everybody needs to learn how to manage money. A spending plan can be a helpful money management tool. By following the six-step exercise in this publication, you can build a spending plan based on your finances. Written by Halie Corbitt, Lisa Hamilton, Jenny Rodriguez, and Martie Gillen, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, revised August 2026.
This publication provides an overview of the US fresh strawberry industry, highlighting key trends in production, trade, and competitiveness. Fresh strawberries represent one of the most economically important specialty crops in the United States, with production valued at $3.3 billion in 2023. While domestic output has grown steadily—driven by California and Florida—imports, particularly from Mexico, have surged, shifting the United States from a net exporter to a net importer since 2012. It explores the structural challenges faced by US growers, including labor shortages, rising costs, and increasing foreign competition. It also discusses potential strategies for maintaining industry viability, such as mechanization, labor access, breeding innovations, and market differentiation. This analysis supports policymakers, trade analysts, and growers in understanding the evolving dynamics of the sector and identifying pathways for sustainable growth.
This publication provides an overview of the four tailored infographics created for the UF/IFAS Extension program called Sun Safe Workspace. The goal of each infographic was to communicate specific knowledge related to the importance of sun safety for cancer prevention, with a focus on outdoor professionals (or those who spend most of their working hours outside). We also present graphical elements that are used to facilitate cohesiveness among program materials. Written by Melissa J. Vilaro, Lugthea D. Pelissier, Wendy Wood, Samara Purvis, Joshua K. Payne, Felicia Marable-Williams, Wanda Adorno, Hillary MacMichael, Brenda L. Marty-Jimenez, Isabella Alobele, Laura Valencia, Andrea M. Nikolai, Nelly Nelson, and Yesenia A. Rodriguez, and published by the UF/IFAS Department of Family, Youth and Community Sciences, July 2026.
This publication explains how wildlife use the urban ecosystem and sewers. Cities reduce natural spaces for wildlife, but animals adapt by using human-made structures in surprising ways. Sewers designed to move stormwater provid hidden habitats and travel corridors for a variety of wildlife. In Alachua County, camera traps documented 35 species, including raccoons, opossums, bats, birds, reptiles, and invertebrates, using sewers for shelter, foraging, and safe movement under roads. Some species, like raccoons and bats, roosted or denned inside the pipes. Sewer design, pipe size, water flow, and surrounding development influenced which animals were present. While sewers benefit urban wildlife, they also pose risks: animals become trapped during floods or maintenance. Knowing that animals use the stormwater systems, homeowners and city managers can act to protect both animals and protect both animals and people by, for instance, installing ramps or screens to reduce entrapments.
