The Natural Area Teaching Lab (NATL)

The Natural Area Teaching Lab (NATL) Come visit Nature's classroom! http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/ Each of these ecosystems features self-guided nature trails complete with interpretive photosigns.

The Natural Area Teaching Lab (NATL) is a 60-acre outdoor classroom half of which is also a public recreational area. Its mission is to provide UF students, K-12 students and the public with information about ecology and biotic diversity in an interactive, outdoor setting that showcases some of northern Florida’s characteristic ecosystems. NATL's public area is comprised of four ecosystems: Upland

Pine, Old-Field Succession, Hammock and the Stormwater Ecological Enhancement Project (SEEP), a manmade wetland. Many of the signs feature QR codes that lead to videos or sound clips when scanned using a smartphone with a QR reader app. We also offer a Top 50 Checklist (available at the Academic Entrance kiosk or online at: http://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/naturetrails/top50.php) and a seasonal Scavenger Hunt (available at the front desk of the Florida Museum of Natural History) for both adults and children to enjoy. NATL is located at the Archer Road edge of campus, near the Entomology and Nematology Building on Surge Area/Natural Area Drive. There are three entrances to the public area of NATL: the academic entrance on Natural Area Drive, the Cultural Plaza entrance located beside the Florida Museum of Natural History, and the Natural Area Park entrance found within the Natural Area Park, on Natural Area Drive across from the Cultural Plaza parking garage and the Entomology and Nematology Department. For directions, click on the “Location” link to the right – it will take you to Google Maps which will allow you to input a starting address and get step-by-step directions. For more information please visit our website: http://www.natl.ifas.ufl.edu

If you have any questions, please feel free to send us a Facebook message or an email at [email protected]. If you want to share any photos you’ve taken or just want to talk about all the fun you had in NATL, please post to our wall or tag us in your post, and use the hashtag !

07/16/2026
06/23/2026
Today NATL is burning 2.6 acres in the highlighted orange area. Please avoid this place from 12 until tomorrow morning. ...
06/23/2026

Today NATL is burning 2.6 acres in the highlighted orange area. Please avoid this place from 12 until tomorrow morning. Thank your for cooperating with NATL in this endeavor. These burns are inherently hard to plan but are vital to the continued health of NATL.

Meet the newest member of the NATL team!Charlie Meagher is working on his BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and ha...
05/22/2026

Meet the newest member of the NATL team!

Charlie Meagher is working on his BS in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation and has been volunteering at NATL for the past year. He loves hiking, gardening, kayaking, and learning about human history. He would love to become a Florida master naturalist one day and know everything there is to know about Florida ecology.

He's already made a huge impact at NATL and we're excited to have him on our team. Say hi 👋🏻 to Charlie the next time you see him at NATL!

A little over month after our mulching in the back pine section of NATL we are already seeing new plants that have been ...
03/13/2026

A little over month after our mulching in the back pine section of NATL we are already seeing new plants that have been hidden in the oak canopy for years. The first and most noticeable plant to show up is the coral bean (Erythrina herbacea). This plant occurs on sandy soils in ecosystems like sandhill, upland mixed woodland, upland pine, and shell mounds. The red tubular flowers are a favorite of hummingbirds. The NATL team is excited to see what lovely flora and fauna show themselves in this area

Upcoming NATL Night Collection!●●●●●●●●●The NATL team will be hosting a night collection event on Tuesday, March 3rd sta...
03/02/2026

Upcoming NATL Night Collection!
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The NATL team will be hosting a night collection event on Tuesday, March 3rd starting at 8pm 🌑 Come hang out with fellow insect enthusiasts, take pictures 📷, and round out your collections🪲.

We would like to give a huge shoutout to and for coming out on Saturday to help us pull and remove over 100 pounds of...
02/10/2026

We would like to give a huge shoutout to and for coming out on Saturday to help us pull and remove over 100 pounds of coral ardesia from NATL. These volunteer events help NATL immensely and we appreciate it greatly!

NATL just got a huge face lift in our upland pine D unit in the form of a hardwood removal thanks to our friends in the ...
02/10/2026

NATL just got a huge face lift in our upland pine D unit in the form of a hardwood removal thanks to our friends in the this management assists both organizations by not only improving habitat at NATL giving us a chance to restore this upland pine to its historic state but also reduces the risk of a severe wildfire occurring in the city of Gainesville.
Please enjoy the before and after photos! If you have any questions regarding our choice in management leave a comment and we’ll be happy to answer.

Harmonic Woods Invasive Removal Day————————————————————————Join the Natural Area Teaching Lab on Saturday, Feb. 21st fro...
02/06/2026

Harmonic Woods Invasive Removal Day
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Join the Natural Area Teaching Lab on Saturday, Feb. 21st from 9am~12pm at Harmonic Woods for an invasive species removal event! We’ll be targeting coral ardisia to help protect native plants like spotted wakerobin and jack-in-the-pulpit. Meet at the kiosk across from University Gardens (see the map for more details).

For questions, please contact: Sherry Kang [email protected] or NATL [email protected]. Hope to see you there!
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This Sunday, the UF Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club and a few members of the NATL volunteer group came out to remove invas...
01/26/2026

This Sunday, the UF Women’s Ultimate Frisbee Club and a few members of the NATL volunteer group came out to remove invasive coral ardisia (Ardisia crenata) from our upland hardwood areas.

Volunteers removed thousands of ardisia berries and pulled dozens of difficult to remove ardisia plants from the ground. Thank you to all volunteers for helping improve the natural area!!

Interested in getting involved at NATL? Fill out the volunteer form on our website: https://natl.ifas.ufl.edu/volunteer/

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Gainesville, FL
32611-0620

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