Burmese Pythons are crawling across Florida from Lake Okeechobee to Key Largo. Hundreds of thousands of Green Iguanas relax along canals and on pool decks around the southern part of the state. And other non-native animals like seven-foot Nile Monitor Lizards and poop-tossing Rhesus Monkeys are scaring Florida residents.

How did all these animals get into our public parks, canals and lakes, undeveloped areas and suburban yards? The unfortunate truth is, kids and their parents are partly to blame. Parents are purchasing cute baby animals for their kids, then abandoning the unwanted adult pets in the Everglades and anywhere else they think the animals might survive on their own. Some species are indeed surviving—and they are breeding wildly, becoming nuisance species.

This book provides identification information for the most common exotic species and has the answers to these questions:

• What are these animals and how did they get here?
• What is a humane way to get rid of them?
• When should a trapper be called?
• Can I feed them?
• Are they dangerous?
• What is the effect of all these exotics on the environment?
• What can we do to help with the problem?

Readers learn how to stay safe, be humane, and appreciate nature—and are encouraged NOT to purchase exotic animals as pets.

Recommended by the National Association of Science Teachers

Here is the story of Florida's citrus wizard, an immigrant boy from China who became a brilliant man who blessed the world with his horticultural gift. In China, the expression "Gift of the Unicorn" means a blessing from the gods to the most fortunate of parents: an exceptionally bright son. In 1860, a simple farming family was so blessed. The Lues named their baby boy with the sparkling black eyes Gim Gong, which means "double brilliance." When he was only twelve years old, Lue Gim Gong left China to seek his fortune in America. The adventurous boy sailed across the Pacific to work in a shoe factory. The life of a Chinese immigrant was difficult, but the magical unicorn would soon bless the boy again. The factory workers all received tutoring in English, and one teacher recognized Lue's unusual brilliance. Appointing herself the young boy's benefactor, Miss Fanny Burlingame took Lue under her sheltering wing. Lue eventually lived with the wealthy Burlingame family, tending their gardens in Massachusetts and their citrus groves in Florida. In the rural central Florida town of Deland, Lue revealed his extraordinary genius with plants. With the support of "Mother Fanny, " Lue developed world-famous species of citrus, including a super-hardy sweet orange and a perfumed grapefruit the size of a soccer ball. He faced illness, lost love, business failure, and heart-breaking prejudice, but Lue's genius continued to flower and bloom.