Hi all, just 12 items, including 5 from the Heartland CISMA. Remember to like and follow us on Facebook (HCISMA), Twitter (@heartlandcisma), and now Instagram (Heartlandcisma) and pass on any info you want to share!
HEARTLAND CISMA NEWS & UPCOMING EVENTS:
1) SAVE THE DATE: Central Florida Invasive Species Workshop will be Wed., April 19th at Circle B Bar Reserve– Sign-up is now live! The agenda is being finalized to be submitted for CEUs on April 4th. The presenters will talk about topics like: pre-emergent treatment of natalgrass, maintenance treatment intervals for 5 invasive plant species, ID of EDRR species including the newest ones found on the Ridge, and of course invasive exotic animals. During the full day, we'll also be featuring as always the Garden of Evil and a field ID tour for ultimate invasive plant ID practice. We're working on those CEUs and lining up sponsors for lunch, and it will be a great opportunity to meet up with your colleagues. Don't miss it!
2) Air potato beetle demo day location sought in Polk County- Shannon Carnevale, Polk County Natural Resources Extension Agent, is looking for a site to hold air potato beetle demo day where we would release some beetles to a site. The site obviously would need to have air potato in fairly good density to sustain the beetles until they can move on to other areas and ideally, would have a picnic area or other meeting place for the demo day. The date we are working with is June 3rd. If you have a location, contact Shannon at scarnevale@ufl.edu ASAP. Also contact her if you'd like to learn how to apply for beetles and help release some (for training).
WEBINARS, EVENTS
3) Southern Pine Beetle Biology, Ecology, and Management Apr 19, 2017 1:00 pm Live Webinar sponsored by: Southern Regional Extension Forestry / Forest Health and Invasive Species Program.
4) Southwest Florida Non Native Fish Roundup, April 8th Roundup from 7 am until 3 pm, and a Kids Only Fishing Blitz and a cook out at the Weigh In Station at The Conservancy of Southwest Florida. Registration is FREE and prizes for adults AND kids of all ages!!!! For flyer, registration and more information: http://floridainvasives.org/southwest/NonNativeFishRoundup2017/index.cfm/
5) Polk Master Gardeners Garden Fest April 24th Bartow (attached)
6) Monthly CISMA calls: to watch and listen to the recording of the March 22nd call about Mexican Bromeliad Weevil and the ARSA CISMA, go to: https://www.floridainvasives.org/cismacalls.html. The next call will be April 26 1:30 about AmeriCorps Project A.N.T. and the First Coast Invasives Working Group. Find out more: https://www.floridainvasives.org/cismas.cfm
REQUESTS FOR INFORMATION:
7) Dog fennel lookalikes: Pete Deal (pete.deal@fl.usda.gov) , Rangeland Management Specialist with NRCS in Osceola County says," As we all know, it can be difficult to identify immature plants in the field. This is a problem that NRCS employees encounter often. One that was a problem recently was Dog Fennel; (Eupatorium capillifolium). To overcome this problem I am trying to put together a training tool for NRCS employees on how to identify Dog Fennel (Eupatorium capillifolium) when it is small. I want to make a list of the plants that can be confused with Eupatorium capillifolium and how they can be identified.
I would appreciate your assistance in this effort. To be more specific I want your input on the following questions.
· What other species can be confused with Eupatorium capillifolium?
· What characteristics do you use to tell the buggers apart?
· Are the Look A Likes that only occur in specific habitats? For example, are there plants that occur only on scrub sites that can be confused with Eupatorium capillifolium?
Chris Lockhart says:
Possibly Euthamia carolinana – also has small narrow leaves
Horsetail, Conyza Canadensis – this one tends be more clumpy when young
Sand Flax, Linum arenicola – might start off looking similar, but is more delicate
When In doubt, crush and smell the leaves. Dog fennel has a unique scent, the others above do not. Dog fennel can be somewhat hairy, but that is variable
Dog fennel is often seen where there is disturbance. The seeds are wind borne, so it may pop up away from the edge, etc.
If you've got feedback, contact Pete at pete.deal@fl.usda.gov
8) Hyptis brevipes sighting information sought- Edwin Bridges has identified nonnative Hyptis brevipes during his inventories in our region and Ellen Allen of SFWMD has found it at Chandler Slough. Have you seen it? Attached is more about the sighting locations, ID, and links to background info, including this from the WSSA/APHIS account, "It could pose a threat to crops and natural vegetation in warm, humid regions of the United States." Email me at cmillett@tnc.org if you have. http://wssa.net/wp-content/uploads/Hyptis-brevipes.pdf
9) Cane toad locations sought- Steve Johnson has a student who needs to collect some Cane Toads for her research and is looking for reliable locations in the northern part of the toad's range. "I know there are records from Polk County and was hoping you or your colleagues/clients might know of some specific locations my student could visit and remove toads." Contact Steve Johnson with location information at 352.846.0557 or tadpole@ufl.edu
10) Cogongrass locations sought- Christina Alba, a postdoc researcher at UF studying the ecology of cogongrass invasions in Florida, is looking for "cogon populations far enough from roadsides that they are not repeatedly mowed or managed by roadside crews. Although we all know that cogongrass is widespread and problematic, there is – surprisingly – very little field data on the environmental factors that determine its distribution and abundance. Such data would be highly valuable for understanding where and why it is likely to be invasive, and how to best manage invasions in various habitats. To collect these types of data, people from our lab (headed by Dr. Luke Flory) will be surveying cogon populations across the state starting in May of this year." Contact Christina Alba with location information at
IFAS NEWS OF NOTE:
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