Snap! Venus fly trap fans ask South Carolina to honor plant

COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) — Conservationists are pushing for the Venus fly trap to be South Carolina's official carnivorous plant, joining other official items such as the state bird (Carolina Wren), state opera (Porgy and Bess) and the state snack (boiled peanuts). In all, South...

Number of monarch butterflies wintering in Mexico drops 22%

MEXICO CITY (AP) — The number of monarch butterflies wintering in the mountains of central Mexico dropped 22% from the previous year, and the number of trees lost from their favored wintering grounds tripled. Frost and “extreme temperatures” in the United States may have played...

In Zimbabwe's rainy season, women forage for wild mushrooms

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) — Zimbabwe's rainy season brings a bonanza of wild mushrooms, which many rural families feast upon and sell to boost their incomes. But the bounty also comes with danger as each year there are reports of people dying after eating poisonous fungi. Discerning...

Floods fill some of California's summer strawberry fields

As river water gushed through a broken levee, thousands of people in a California farming town were forced to evacuate as their homes were flooded and businesses destroyed. Yet another potential casualty of the powerful rainstorms that drenched coastal California: hundreds of acres...

Albania declares new national river park, backs airport plan

TIRANA, Albania (AP) — The Albanian government on Wednesday formally designated the Vjosa River and its tributaries a national park, starting with an investment of some $80 million (75 million euros) to stop wastewater being poured into the river. Authorities held a ceremony in a...

Bill to halt mining near Okefenokee gets hearing but no vote

A proposal to ban future mining near the edge of the Okefenokee Swamp and its vast wildlife refuge received a hearing Tuesday before a panel of Georgia lawmakers, who asked no questions of testifying experts and advocates before adjourning without a vote. Republican Rep. Darlene...

AP sources: Biden administration OKs massive Willow oil project, despite climate concerns raised by environmentalists

Four astronauts fly SpaceX back home, end 5-month mission

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. (AP) — Four space station astronauts returned to Earth late Saturday after a quick SpaceX flight home. Their capsule splashed down in the Gulf of Mexico just off the Florida coast near Tampa. The U.S.-Russian-Japanese crew spent five months at...

Atmospheric river floods California towns, brings rain, snow

SANTA CRUZ, Calif. (AP) — More than 9,000 California residents were under evacuation orders Friday as a new atmospheric river brought heavy rain, thunderstorms and strong winds, swelling rivers and creeks and flooding several major highways and small rural communities. In Santa...

Storms interrupt some of the chaos at Players Championship

PONTE VEDRA BEACH, Fla. (AP) — Chad Ramey became the only player to reach double digits under par at The Players Championship. The TPC Sawgrass, as usual, had the final say. Ramey put two tee shots in the water on the island-green 17th hole Friday for a quintuple-bogey that cost...