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The environmental impacts from Russia's invasion of Ukraine could be felt far longer than the war itself.

The famous bears of Alaska's Katmai National Park are enjoying an abundance of salmon, and even some playtime, as they pack on pounds to prepare for the winter.

The Orchard Orbweaver is a common, colorful, tiny spider found throughout Florida and much of the eastern U.S., to northern South America and north into southern Canada. In addition to its multicolored appearance, this spider is unusual in that it usually builds a web that is horizontal – rather than one that is vertical. Its webs are also usually in a shaded area within a few feet of the ground and often in seasonally wet areas. Among its major foods are mosquitos and small flies. Among its predators are birds, lizards, small mammals, and wasps. Orchard Orbweavers can be found in backyards, parks, and natural areas throughout eastern North America and south into northern South America. Orchard Orbweavers are normally harmless to humans and very helpful in controlling mosquitos and other insect pests. Two species are recognized in North America – one from Florida and Latin America, and one from more northern U.S. States and southern Canada.

The Northern Mockingbird was long ago selected by school children as Florida’s State bird. That’s not a surprising choice because mockingbirds are conspicuous – both visually and vocally in our yards and parks. Because its diet includes a diversity of insects, spiders, small lizards, and other small animals – as well as a diversity of fruits – our mockingbird is particularly conspicuous. It hunts mostly in open patches of short vegetation – such as our lawns -- and perches in the open to sing. In either situation it often holds its long tail upright, thus minimizing the chances for a predator to successfully attack it from behind. Among its other unique behaviors a Northern Mockingbird regularly flicks its wings open and closed as it moves slowly across open areas. The wings have a large white area both above and below – and when the wings are flicked, the white flash often causes nearby insects to move away – and its wing-flashing provides an opportunity for the mockingbird to seize a meal.

Laboratory Theater of Florida is performing a provocative reimagining of Shakespeare’s “Julius Ceasar,” set not in ancient Rome, but in the dark parking lot of a derelict apartment building. The show maintains the original Elizabethan language but condenses the play to about 90 minutes. It maintains the iconic monologues and soliloquies in a way that places heavy emphasis on the timeless themes of power, ambition, and betrayal. We’ll take a deeper dive into the production in a conversation with co-directors Alex Dragg and Nykkie Rizley.

We meet an Venice high school student who turned her attention to feral cats at the local level — and kittens in particular — and the need to both reduce their reproduction rate and to help as many homeless kittens become socialized so they can hopefully be adopted. Venice High School Junior, Maddie Canty, has been a Girl Scout for 12 years. Earlier this year she earned the Girl Scout Gold Award with her project called A Hope for Kittens. The Gold Award is the top award a Girl Scout Can earn. Her project focused on reducing kitten euthanasia by combining public education, direct care, and local policy change.

Some of the most iconic names in Yosemite National Park have been taken down. It's the result of a trademark dispute between the park and its outgoing concessionaire.

Nearly $6.5 million in Tourist Development Tax revenue is being used to authorize work and reimburse expenses for a number of agreements across the county.Commissioners also voted to leverage additional drone technology to enhance efforts to ensure public safety by approving the purchase of four autonomous drones to be based across Lee County.

Florida is abuzz about beekeeping. The number of Floridians who’ve started beekeeping has increased by over 500 percent in the last 14 years. The demand...

According to the U.S Census Bureau, seniors are expected to make up over 20% of the country’s population by that year, and that percentage will be considerably higher here in Florida where 21.3% of the population is already over 65. This means considerably more seniors are going to require assistance from senior living communities, and there is already a shortage of staff in this country to handle the current levels at existing facilities. Our guest says technology is going to have to be the key to making sure the system can handle the growth.