Salvinia is a tricky beast—it doubles in size every week, has tentacles that loom underneath, and chokes up waterways, making it impossible for wildlife to grow or boats to sail.
source/image: Great Big Story
It’s a monster currently devastating Texas’s picturesque Caddo Lake. But, never fear, the weevil is here.
Residents of Uncertain, Texas have taken it onto themselves to combat the invasive species with the help of a small Brazilian insect known as the Salvinia weevil. By releasing these tiny soldiers onto the pervasive plant, they’re hoping to save the lake and their home.
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Salvinia, like the other ferns in order Salviniales, are heterosporous, producing spores of differing sizes. However, leaf development in Salvinia is unique. The upper side of the floating leaf, which appears to face the stem axis, is morphologically abaxial.
