#invasive-species

#invasive-species

Green iguanas (Iguana iguana) are not native to the U.S. but were brought to Florida in the 1960s, where they have, for the most part, flourishedexcept, that is, when temperatures have dropped below 50 degrees F (10 degrees C). These chilly conditions can cause a cold shock in the lizards. And because the iguanas tend to sleep in trees, getting cold shocked can sometimes cause the animals to fall from the skies in an infamous Florida phenomenon.

It's a serious crime, this is an important industry and it takes away from the producers who have put months and sometimes years into the development of these plants,

It was only when huge areas of Iceland started turning purple that authorities realised they had made a mistake. By then, it was too late. The Nootka lupin, native to Alaska, had coated the sides of fjords, sent tendrils across mountain tops and covered lava fields, grasslands and protected areas. Since it arrived in the 1940s, it has become an accidental national symbol. Hordes of tourists and local people pose for photos in the ever-expanding fields in June and July, entranced by the delicate cones of flowers that cover the north Atlantic island.

Not only do they have a pinching bite if they land on a person, but the ladybug impostors emit a defensive yellow fluid that has a foul odor, irritates human skin, and can stain fabrics. The PennState Extension warned: 'It is not uncommon for tens of thousands of beetles to congregate in attics, ceilings and wall voids, and due to the warmth of the walls, will move around inside these voids and exit into the living areas of the home.'

My wife and I have been planning a trip for around five years. The idea was that it would be a big one for our 10th anniversary; we celebrated our 16th in August. There were deferrals due to family tragedies, work-related upheavals, a global pandemic, and more work-related upheavals, and there have been other small trips mixed in, but there has always been planning, albeit at the lowest possible simmer.

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

Icelanders may be the last group of people on Earth to experience the pesky bite of a mosquito. This week, Iceland recorded the presence of the insects within its borders for the first time in the Nordic nation's history. The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed Monday by the Icelandic Institute of Natural History, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight and appeared to be able to withstand Iceland's climate.

Mosquitoes have been found in Iceland for the first time as global heating makes the country more hospitable for insects. The country was until this month one of the only places in the world that did not have a mosquito population. The other is Antarctica. Scientists have predicted for some time that mosquitoes could establish themselves in Iceland as there are plentiful breeding habitats such as marshes and ponds. Many species will be unable to survive the harsh climate, however.

At first, the stoat looks like a faint smudge in the distance. But, as it jumps closer, its sleek body is identified by a heat-detecting camera and, with it, an alert goes out to Orkney's stoat hunters. Aided by an artificial intelligence programme trained to detect a stoat's sinuous shape and movement, trapping teams are dispatched with the explicit aim of finding and killing it.

According to a statement from the city, "the Santa Cruz County Department of Agriculture, in partnership with the University of California Cooperative Extension, has confirmed the presence of the invasive shothole borer beetle in trees located in the Tannery area of the city of Santa Cruz. Arborists identified two affected trees, prompting local agencies to call on the public's help in early detection and prevention of further spread."

Like many student volunteers, the kids in the group Town Belt Kaitiaki look after their neighborhood parks planting trees, weeding, clearing paths. But they also do something less common: exterminating animals. "So we have a possum trap the white ones that are up on the trees," says Finn Hibbert, age 18, pointing to a white and metal box designed to kill brushtail possums, an Australian marsupial. Other traps scattered throughout the park also kill rats.

The kiwi is New Zealand's most iconic bird. Round and fuzzy, the bird is flightless and has a long beak that makes it adorable or awkward, depending on who you ask. New Zealanders are even known as "kiwis." Still, despite the kiwi's fame, many people in New Zealand have never seen one. Kiwi have become increasingly rare. Over the last century, New Zealand's unique birds have disappeared at a rapid pace.

Kenya's arid north has always stirred the imaginations of those who visit. Its open, scorched bushland distributed over exposed geological formations and crosscut by riverine tentacles never fails to elicit impressions of emptiness and remoteness. To most outsiders, this is a timeless land. It is beautiful but unproductive, so the imaginary goes. It is backward. Its vulnerabilities - drought, famine, conflict, poverty - are inherent. Radical change is needed: a new way of doing things to unlock vast untapped potential and bring prosperity.

When a virulent material enters an ecosystem, it can wreak havoc on existing life. Bittersweet vines in Upstate New York, for example, were brought to the region in the second half of the 19th century to combat erosion and for their sinuous, woody beauty. Native to eastern Asia, these largely poisonous plants quickly became invasive, smothering other specimens and even uprooting trees.

For nearly 25 years, the Roadless Rule has frustrated land managers and served as a barrier to action prohibiting road construction, which has limited wildfire suppression and active forest management,

The scientist traipses to a pond wearing rubber boots but he doesn't enter the water. Instead, Brad Hollingsworth squats next to its swampy edge and retrieves a recording device the size of a deck of cards. He then opens it up and removes a tiny memory card containing 18 hours of sound. Back at his office at the San Diego Natural History Museum, the herpetologist an expert in reptiles and amphibians uses artificial intelligence to analyze the data on the card.

Mute swans are invasive species in California, known for their territorial behavior, which includes drowning smaller animals, making them a significant threat to local ecosystems.

The invasive seaweed Rugulopteryx okamurae is piling up on beaches in the strait of Gibraltar, posing a significant threat to biodiversity and local tourism.

Crawfish Boils are feasts featuring crayfish, corn, potatoes, and sausage, deeply rooted in Creole and Cajun culture, now being celebrated in Bermondsey.

Golden mussels like to stick to hard surfaces - like those pipes and pumps - and that has state officials concerned. They're going to grow, they're going to settle out, attach onto the walls, and then begin forming those colonies.

The New World Screwworm (NWS) lays hundreds of larvae in the wounds of animals and people, which hatch within hours and consume the victim's tissue.

Last year a foxtail seed barb got lodged in our dog's inner eyelid and scratched her cornea, " resident Jasmine Colahan posted on Instagram.