Brackenridge Field Laboratory

07/07/2026

Fire ants may be ubiquitous now, but their villain origin story is worse than you think 😉

Tune in to yesterday's episode from the Texas Standard, where BFL researchers Robert Plowes and Larry Gilbert explain how they fought a massive invasion of red imported fire ants in the 1990s.

Also check out this June 30 story at kut.org: "Fire ants wreaked havoc when they invaded Austin decades ago. A team of scientists fought back."

Thanks to Katy McAfee for the coverage!

05/23/2026

The signs and sounds of summer are fast approaching at BFL. These cicadas vibrate specialized rib-like membranes on their abdomens called tymbals to create their characteristic loud buzzing sound that defines the soundscape of summer in central Texas. Their buzzing gets louder as the temperature climbs because the heat warms up their flight and sound-making muscles.

04/26/2026

Thank you to our wonderful citizen scientists and volunteers who showed up for BioBlitz! We hope you had fun exploring the field station in search of new fungal species! 🍄‍🟫

Remember to send your sample to BFL once you've finished processing and documenting it. Keep snapping pics on iNaturalist, and we'll see you next year for a new round of biodiscovery! 👀

04/25/2026

During BioBlitz's first-ever fungal workshop, researchers and citizen scientists discussed the distribution patterns of the Texas Star, the state's official mushroom. Strangely enough, the rare fungi grows not just in Texas and Oklahoma, but also Taiwan and Japan!

04/17/2026

Our last Science Under the Stars event of the year was in collaboration with the Stengl-Wyer Scholars! Stengl-Wyer is the largest endowment program in the history of the College of Natural Sciences at UT Austin. 🤩

After fun tabling activities, 5 researchers presented the important questions: what makes up plant biodiversity, how bees decide what to eat, how microbial bacteria kill each other, why fish eat p**p, and how to track mammalian species over time. ⏰

See you in the fall for another wonderful speaker series! 🫡

04/17/2026

Hear from a few of our post-doctoral scholars who are speaking at today's Science Under the Stars event.

04/09/2026

It's almost time for BIO BLITZ!!!⚡⚡⚡

On Saturday, April 25 from 10am-10pm, become a citizen scientist and find as many species as possible at BFL. It's a great opportunity to help us track biodiversity and learn more about your local environment!

What to bring:
- phone
- water
- bug spray
- good hiking clothes and shoes
- iNaturalist app for species documentation
- a curious attitude!

Find out more here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/bioblitz-2026-uts-brackenridge-field-laboratory-tickets-1985057683969

03/20/2026

Rice University students toured BFL and went kayaking down the Colorado River earlier today. They visited as part of Alternative Breaks, a collegiate program where students do educational activities during Spring Break. Thanks for coming by, Owls!

03/18/2026

We may be on holiday for Spring Break, but things are going down at BFL. Literally.

Researchers explored and expanded a hole discovered previously in the field, suspecting it may lead to an underground cave. 🕳️ Volunteer support came from Underground Texas Grotto, a non-profit that does cave explorations across Texas and Mexico.

The team is just two feet short of declaring the site an official cave. 😲 We'll keep you posted on what we find out at next month's dig!

02/27/2026