Tag Archives: invasive species

More on the Australian redclaw crayfish

Posted on April 14, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Time to meet another invasive species. The South Texas odyssey of the Australian redclaw crayfish continues. Approaching five years since the lobster-like creatures were first reported in the Brownsville area, scientists are still trying to determine how disruptive this visitor from halfway around the … Continue reading →

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Texas and Oklahoma peacefully settle their border dispute

Posted on November 13, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Well, at least one thing went well this past week. Texas just altered its border with Oklahoma. Well, a small sliver of it, anyway. And, no, Texas didn’t become any bigger. After years of dispute over how the boundary between … Continue reading →

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Bringing back black bears

Posted on April 29, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Cool. It’s difficult to visualize these days, what with the light pollution, overdevelopment and sprawl that have come to define the greater Houston area, but the ground we now stand on was once the domain of 5’ 6” black bears. … Continue reading →

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Bastard cabbage update

Posted on April 15, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

Because I still like saying “bastard cabbage”. There’s a war raging in Texas this spring — between wildflowers and bastard cabbage. Officials say bastard cabbage, also known by its proper name, rapistrum rugosum, poses a threat to the livelihood of … Continue reading →

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Feral peacocks

Posted on January 16, 2024 by Charles Kuffner

I will admit that the headline of this story made me think it would be little more than a laugh, but it had me fully engaged. Kellie Donoghue proceeds with trepidation when she takes her four dogs for a walk. … Continue reading →

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Hammerhead flatworms

Posted on June 4, 2023 by Charles Kuffner

What fresh hell is this? They can grow up to 15 inches long, multiply when cut in half and are poisonous when eaten by pets and other animals. People across social media have reported seeing hammerhead flatworms in Texas this year and are … Continue reading →

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Beware the tasty invasive Aussie lobsters

Posted on August 27, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Hopefully we can eat enough of them to mitigate their impact. They may be delicious, but they’re also invasive. Texas Parks and Wildlife announced Thursday that several Australian redclaw crawfish were recently discovered again at an apartment complex pond in the Brownsville area. Labeled … Continue reading →

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The porkchopping experience

Posted on July 31, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Ever wonder what it’s like to hunt feral hogs with a machine gun from a helicopter? Well, here you go. Feral hogs have terrorized Houston neighborhoods for years, tearing up grass and causing property damage in search of food. But did you … Continue reading →

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Bad news for the crazy ants

Posted on May 16, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

They have found a mighty foe. Several years ago, staffers at Estero Llano Grande State Park in Weslaco, Texas, noticed a new type of invasive ant species. Tawny crazy ants were so aggressive that they were driving birds out of … Continue reading →

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Please don’t feed the ducks

Posted on April 24, 2022 by Charles Kuffner

Quack. The City of Houston is asking residents who visit Hermann Park to stop feeding the ducks. They said the population of domestic ducks has exploded and park workers think it’s because the ducks won’t leave because there’s too much … Continue reading →

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The aoudad story

Posted on November 28, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

Did you know before reading this post what an aoudad is, other than a potentially useful word to know the next time you play Scrabble? I admit that I had never heard of them, but the state is Texas has … Continue reading →

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The Muscovy ducks of Pearland

Posted on November 17, 2019 by Charles Kuffner

The things you learn. The bird sanctuary city of Pearland is encouraging residents to take matters into their own hands to address the growing problem of Muscovy ducks that have reportedly taken residence in the city. Known for their red, … Continue reading →

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Look out for lionfish

Posted on December 2, 2018 by Charles Kuffner

Hey, it’s another destructive invasive species, aided and abetted by climate change. Scientists battling coral reef deaths caused by warming ocean waters 100 miles off the coast of Galveston might now have another climate change problem to fight in coming … Continue reading →

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Fire ant-killing robots

Posted on January 14, 2017 by Charles Kuffner

Let’s just luxuriate in the glory of that headline for a moment, shall we? Harley Myler is working on a “war of the worlds.” That’s what the Lamar Electrical Engineering Department chair calls his latest project: a walking robot that … Continue reading →

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The zebra mussels keep invading

Posted on July 13, 2016 by Charles Kuffner

Can anything stop them? When zebra mussels exploded in the Great Lakes region during the early 1990s, fisheries managers in Texas and many other southern states certainly noticed, but most weren’t overly alarmed. Yes, the alien freshwater mollusks, native to … Continue reading →

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Another kind of feral hog to worry about

Posted on December 12, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

Texas now has a warthog problem. Over its 46-year history, the Chaparral Wildlife Management Area has been the site of a long list of achievements that cemented its reputation as the premier state-owned wildlife and wildlife habitat research, education and … Continue reading →

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Carrizo cane and French wasps

Posted on September 13, 2015 by Charles Kuffner

I love stories like this. They’ve burned it, bulldozed it, hacked it and poisoned it. Now they want to try wasps – imported from France, no less. The target is carrizo cane, a bamboo-like reed that’s a fearsome enemy of … Continue reading →

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Like a bridge over Memorial Park

Posted on October 1, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Some fascinating ideas for ensuring the long-term health of Memorial Park. Today Memorial Park is a land divided. The city’s premiere park stretches across 1,500 acres, almost twice as large as New York’s Central Park. But to Thomas Woltz of … Continue reading →

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Make sure you check for zebra mussels

Posted on July 5, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

New boating rules are in effect in an effort to combat the spread of zebra mussels. Starting on [July 1], boaters are going to have to take an extra step to clean their vessels if they want to cruise around … Continue reading →

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Eat ’em all up

Posted on May 30, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

It sure would be nice to think that we could solve our invasive species problems by eating them all, but we probably can’t. It seems like a simple proposition: American lakes, rivers and offshore waters are filling up with destructive … Continue reading →

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Look out for zebra mussels

Posted on May 26, 2014 by Charles Kuffner

Take proper care of your boat, y’all. Fishing and boating enthusiasts take note: you’re probably going to need a little extra time as you head out on the lake this year. Rules to prevent the spread of the invasive zebra … Continue reading →

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Educating people about invasive species

Posted on August 21, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Worth a shot. Every two months, Christopher Churchill, a U.S. Geological Survey biologist, scuba dives in Ray Roberts Lake, northwest of Dallas, to monitor the growth rates of zebra mussels, which have wreaked havoc on several Texas lakes and rivers. … Continue reading →

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The drought affects the coast, too

Posted on July 11, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

Even more reasons to hope for rain. A growing body of research into the effects of the state’s ongoing drought, which began in late 2010 and peaked in 2011, reveal a coast deeply affected by the prolonged dry spell. “Coastal … Continue reading →

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Beautifying Buffalo Bayou

Posted on May 24, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

I’m really looking forward to seeing how this winds up. The nonprofit Buffalo Bayou Partnership is overseeing $58 million in ecological restoration and enhancement to upgrade the 2.3-mile stretch between Shepherd and Sabine into a green gem with a slew … Continue reading →

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Watch out for snails

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Charles Kuffner

The invasive species keep coming, and there’s only so much we can do about it. Ominous red dots pepper the war room maps, and the story they tell is ugly. Foreign enemies are advancing on Texas by the millions – … Continue reading →

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Environmental drones

Posted on July 7, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Look! Up in the sky! It’s a bird! A plane! A drone! One year into a $260,000 two-year grant from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, [civil engineer Thom] Hardy and his crew of biologists, geographers and spatial analysts have … Continue reading →

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If you can’t beat ’em, eat ’em

Posted on May 12, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Texas Monthly proposes a way to deal with those bothersome invasive species. Keep your invasive species sweet; you may have to eat them. Late last week StateImpact Texasput together a list of the “Top Ten Invasive Species in Texas.” But what’s the best … Continue reading →

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“Crazy” ants come to Austin

Posted on May 5, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

They’re on the move. There’s a new ant in town, and wherever it goes, fire ants start disappearing. It also doesn’t sting or bite. But don’t get excited yet. The Rasberry crazy ant which showed up in Travis County and … Continue reading →

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Bastard cabbage

Posted on April 14, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

All that recent rain benefits good plants and bad plants. With its thick outcropping of leafy green branches topped with small yellow flowers, an invasive weed commonly called bastard cabbage is blotting out large swaths of wildflowers, including the beloved … Continue reading →

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When monkeys are outlawed, only outlaws will have monkeys

Posted on February 10, 2012 by Charles Kuffner

Or something like that. Even in their Texas hideout, Jim and Donita Clark are terrified that wildlife agents from their home state of Louisiana will descend on their motorhome and seize the four Capuchin monkeys they’ve reared for 10 years. … Continue reading →

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The giant prawn menace

Posted on December 29, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

Yet another thing to add to your list of Things You Didn’t Realize You Needed To Worry About: Giant prawns in the Gulf of Mexico. The Asian tiger prawn, a foot-long crustacean with a voracious appetite and a proclivity for … Continue reading →

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Deer smuggling

Posted on October 23, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

I had no idea. The smuggling operation across the Texas border proved lucrative, netting over $2 million for hauling the undocumented 41 who went by such aliases as “Hit Man” and “Spike.” But the illegal cargo wasn’t immigrants from Mexico. … Continue reading →

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“Crazy ants” update

Posted on October 9, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

The march of the so-called “crazy ants” continues unabated. It sounds like a horror movie: Biting ants invade by the millions. A camper’s metal walls bulge from the pressure of ants nesting behind them. A circle of poison stops them … Continue reading →

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Piranha!

Posted on October 2, 2011 by Charles Kuffner

You never know what you might find in Texas’ lakes. When a pre-teen girl dunked a hook baited with a piece of hot dog into the 23-acre lake in Tom Bass Park on Aug. 27 and pulled out a flapping, … Continue reading →

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