News Stories - Page 12

University of Georgia entomology graduate students witnessed countless members of the Photuris frontalis — or snappy sync — firefly species blinking in unison in north Georgia earlier this month. (Photo by Horace Zhang) CAES News
Magic in the Air
Standing in the new darkness of a 100-acre wood on a recent summer evening, a group of University of Georgia entomology graduate students witnessed magic in the air — literally — as thousands of fireflies of different species rose from the forest floor to flash their luminescent love songs to hopeful mates hiding below.
On a seven-acre research site in Plains, Georgia, where former President Jimmy Carter’s family used to grow peanuts and soybeans now sits a solar farm of more than 3,800 panels. UGA College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences researchers are testing wildflowers like red clover (pictured) planted among the panels to measure habitat success over several seasons. CAES News
Biodiversity on Solar Farms
As solar farms pop up across the U.S., researchers at the University of Georgia are working to improve the biodiversity on solar sites as part of a larger, multidisciplinary research program designed to support both sustainable energy and ecosystem health.
solitary oak leafminer damage CAES News
Solitary Oak Leafminer
“What’s wrong with the leaves of my oak tree? Is my tree dying?” Over the past several weeks, University of Georgia Cooperative Extension offices across north Georgia have been flooded with calls from residents asking about their oak trees. Whether white, red or chestnut oaks, the question has been the same.
A monarch butterfly rests on a leaf in Nova Scotia, Canada. (Photo courtesy of Pat Davis) CAES News
Monarch Butterfly Populations
For years, scientists have warned that monarch butterflies are dying off in droves because of diminishing winter colonies. But new research from the University of Georgia shows that the summer population of monarchs has remained relatively stable over the past 25 years.
Aerial photo of soybean field at the UGA Northwest Research and Education Center in Rome, Georgia, by Henry Jordan CAES News
MyIPM Row Crops
New insect wreaking havoc in your cotton field? Troublesome disease in your peanut stand you don’t recognize? No idea where to start? There’s an app for that.
Fire ant mounds seen on the surface of our lawns and fields are just a small portion of the ant colony where soil has been excavated to the surface. These colonies are unsightly and occasionally dangerous. CAES News
Fire Ant Management
There are many things you come to expect living in the Southern U.S. You can count on sweetened ice tea being available at every restaurant, there will always be festivals named after fruits and vegetables, and the weather after Easter will never make any sense. You can also count on fire ant mounds appearing in late spring.