Florida accidentally created giant floating islands across Lake Okeechobee after decades of fertiliser runoff fueled explosive growth of invasive water hyacinths and other aquatic weeds, smothering habitats and clogging waterways

Lake Okeechobee is the second-largest freshwater lake in the contiguous United States and has long been considered the heart of South Florida. However, over several decades now, the lake has become increasingly vulnerable to excessive nutrient pollution, especially phosphorus carried into the watershed through agricultural runoff, fertilisers and tributary inflows. This nutrient overload has created ideal conditions for invasive aquatic plants such as water hyacinth and water lettuce to spread rapidly. Therefore, thick mats of vegetation can combine into giant floating islands that drift across the lake, blocking sunlight, reducing oxygen levels, disrupting fish habitat and making navigation increasingly difficult .

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