Biodiversity Blog
Extra, extra, read all about it! Invasive Guinea grass research at BFL in the news
Invasive Guinea grass in South Texas forms dense stands that pose an intense fire hazard when dry. Dr. Aaron Rhodes conducts research into these impacts. When we think of an invasive species, we typically imagine the one we know best here in Texas: the Red Imported Fire Ant (Solenopsis invicta). Swarming, stinging, disrupting everything in its p...
Brackenridge Field Lab awarded Green Fund for community-based restoration of Schulle Creek
Permanent water in Schulle Creek at BFL (Photo: Larry Gilbert) The Schulle Creek Restoration Program at the Brackenridge Field Lab (BFL) has been funded by a Green Fund award from the Office of Sustainability at UT Austin. The funds will support an ambitious multi-year project to restore native biodiversity of the Schulle Creek area which has be...
Restoring the Vanessa Butterfly Garden
CAMN member digging through rock soil to plant three red yuccas (Hesperaloe parviflora), a favorite for hummingbirds and night-pollinating moths. Not so long ago, there was a butterfly garden at the Brackenridge Field Laboratory, one of the field stations in UT’s growing field station network. This garden was initially created in 2012 with fundi...
Pets as Invasive Species: Birds, Feathered Friend or Foe?
Monk Parakeet (Photo: Bernard Dupont-Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license) Birds are another beloved pet, adored for their plumage, their song, and for their interesting behavior. My own parakeets, Ernesto and Clyde, never fail to amuse with their head bobbing and love of stick-chewing. But like many pets that end u...
