Articles written by Craig Springer

Craig Springer, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Southwest Region|Feb 1, 2016

The plant's scientific name is your first clue that it is something that you do not want. Botanists know it as Salvinia molesta. It's commonly known as giant salvinia. Native to South America, the floating fern made its way to the United States via the ornamental plant industry. It's pretty, but the beauty belies serious economic and ecological harm that usually follow when it is accidentally or purposely released into the wild. John Naugle would know. He's a fisheries biological technician at... Full story