{"id":116795,"date":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","date_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/116795\/"},"modified":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","modified_gmt":"2026-01-13T20:23:10","slug":"master-gardeners-to-offer-program-on-invasives-sanibel-captiva","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/116795\/","title":{"rendered":"Master Gardeners to offer program on invasives &#8211; SANIBEL-CAPTIVA"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>&#13;<br \/>\n                                                <a href=\"https:\/\/www.captivasanibel.com\/news\/\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">&#13;<br \/>\n                                &#13;<br \/>\n                    \/News                                                        &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n            <\/a>&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n            &#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<\/p>\n<p>1 \/ 3<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"slide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LC-MASTER-GARDENER-PROGRAM-1.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>PHOTO PROVIDED<br \/>\nInvasive beach naupaka (Scaevola taccada)<\/p>\n<p>2 \/ 3<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"slide_tall\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LC-MASTER-GARDENER-PROGRAM-2.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>PHOTO PROVIDED<br \/>\nNative inkberry (Scaevola plumieri)<\/p>\n<p>3 \/ 3<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"slide\" src=\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/LC-MASTER-GARDENER-PROGRAM-3.png\"\/><\/p>\n<p>PHOTO PROVIDED<\/p>\n<p>            <a class=\"prev next_prev_slide\" onclick=\"plusSlides(-1)\"><\/a><br \/>\n            <a class=\"next next_prev_slide\" onclick=\"plusSlides(1)\"><\/a><\/p>\n<p>            [expand]<\/p>\n<p>        close<br \/>\n    &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n    &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n    &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<\/p>\n<p>UF\/IFAS Extension Lee County Master Gardeners will present a free program, \u201cHow to Spot and Stop Invasive Plants on Our Barrier Island,\u201d on Jan. 17 from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at the Sanibel Public Library.<\/p>\n<p>The barrier islands\u2019 lush environment is constantly under threat from aggressive invasive plants. They can quickly take over landscapes, outcompete vital native species and disrupt local ecosystems. Understanding how to identify and manage them is crucial to preserving the biodiversity and health of the unique environment.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPrevention is the most cost-effective solution when dealing with invasive species,\u201d UF\/IFAS Extension Lee County Residential Horticulture Agent Sheryl van der Heiden said. \u201cBy teaching homeowners how to spot these problems and avoid planting them, we are empowering them to stop the problem before it starts and make informed decisions that benefit the entire ecosystem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The program will focus on three key areas:<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Identification: Learn to spot the most common and problematic invasive plants.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 \u201cWhy They Are Bad\u201d: The presentation will delve into the environmental and economic consequences, explaining how they harm natural habitats and can even impact property values.<\/p>\n<p>\u2013 Source awareness: Attendees will learn to stay away from invasive plants often sold unintentionally at local box stores and garden centers, ensuring purchases are not contributing to the problem.<\/p>\n<p>To register or for more information, visit <a href=\"https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/how-to-spot-and-stop-invasive-plants-on-our-barrier-island-tickets-1735620911869?aff=oddtdtcreator\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\">https:\/\/www.eventbrite.com\/e\/how-to-spot-and-stop-invasive-plants-on-our-barrier-island-tickets-1735620911869?aff=oddtdtcreator<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The Sanibel Public Library is at 770 Dunlop Road, Sanibel.<\/p>\n<p>            &#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<br \/>\n                        &#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n&#13;<br \/>\n            &#13;<br \/>\n            &#13;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"&#13; &#13; &#13; \/News &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; &#13; 1 \/ 3 PHOTO PROVIDED Invasive beach naupaka&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":116796,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210],"class_list":{"0":"post-116795","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-cape-coral","8":"tag-cape-coral","9":"tag-cape-coral-headlines","10":"tag-cape-coral-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116795","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=116795"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/116795\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/116796"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=116795"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=116795"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=116795"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}