Latest Plants News
Find out where your firewood comes from to prevent the spread of invasive pests
Crackling fires have long been a gathering place where idyllic chestnuts are roasted, stories shared and souls warmed, whether around a hearth or at a campsite. Some folks cut their own wood and let it season, but most buy their wood without much thought about where it came from. As...
Farmers are still reeling months after Hurricane Helene ravaged crops across the South
LYONS, Ga. (AP) — Twisted equipment and snapped tree limbs still litter Chris Hopkins’ Georgia farm more than two months after Hurricane Helene made its deadly march across the South. An irrigation sprinkler system about 300 feet (92 meters) long lay overturned in a field, its...
Takeaways from AP's story on Everglades restoration efforts
EVERGLADES, Fla. (AP) — The Everglades in South Florida were once about twice the size of New Jersey. Wildlife was abundant and water flowed freely from the Kissimmee River to Lake Okeechobee to the Florida Bay. But decades of engineering projects partitioned and drained the water, invasive...
'Tis the season for roasting chestnuts. But in the US, native ones are almost gone
It's been a very long time since vendors sold the American chestnut on city sidewalks. It's no longer the variety whose smell some people associate with Christmastime as it wafts from street carts. Because it's virtually extinct. But memories of the American chestnut's legacy keep...
A magnitude 6.4 earthquake shakes Chile but there are no reports of damage
SANTIAGO, Chile (AP) — A 6.4 magnitude earthquake shook central Chile on Friday but there were no immediate reports of damage and a tsunami was ruled out. The United States Geological Survey said the quake occurred at 7:38 p.m. local time (23:38 GMT) at a depth of 110 kilometers....
Environmental groups condemn new laws threatening soybean restrictions in Brazil's Amazon
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — Dozens of environmental nonprofits issued a manifesto Thursday condemning new laws in Brazilian states that threaten to dismantle the Amazon soy moratorium — a landmark voluntary agreement banning trade in soybeans from recently deforested areas. The...
Monarch butterflies to be listed as a threatened species in US
MADISON, Wis. (AP) — U.S. wildlife officials announced a decision Tuesday to extend federal protections to monarch butterflies after years of warnings from environmentalists that populations are shrinking and the beloved pollinator may not survive climate change. The U.S. Fish and...
To save a dying swamp, Louisiana aims to restore the Mississippi River's natural flow
GARYVILLE, La. (AP) — Louisiana has long relied on a vast levee system to rein in the Mississippi River and protect surrounding communities from flooding. But cutting off the natural flow of the river with man made barriers has been slowly killing one of the nation's largest forested wetlands. ...
Global warming fills New England's rich waters with death traps for endangered sea turtles
QUINCY, Mass. (AP) — As global warming fills the plankton-rich waters of New England with death traps for sea turtles, the number of stranded reptiles has multiplied over the last 20 years, filling one specialized animal hospital with the endangered creatures. The animals enter...
Joshua trees are in peril. California has a plan to save them
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife has released a new plan to protect the state's iconic Joshua trees, which are imperiled by wildfires, human development and climate change. The 294-page draft plan includes calls for avoiding or minimizing direct and indirect impacts...
