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Cold Temperatures Could Mean Possible Crop Losses For Local Farmers, Falling Iguanas

MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Local farmers have to deal with the possible loss of crops due to near-freezing temperatures across South Florida. Cold temps may also cause iguanas to fall from trees.

John Alger's sweet corn crop in Homestead is in serious jeopardy due to the cold.

"A frost hits, it can destroy the crop it's not marketable, it dies," said Alger, a third-generation farmer.

With every cold front comes a potential for damage but there is a way to prevent it. "Water seals up the soil, so you don't have the freeze. It also adds heat," he says.

As far as falling iguanas, that is a real possibility.

"Depending on the size of the iguana, they slow down to the point they will shut off and even die," said Ron Magill, the communications director of the Miami-Dade Zoological Park and Gardens.

On Wednesday, iguanas were easy to spot laying in the sun, trying to warm up.

The problem for them is at night, "as they lock onto the trees and it gets colder, they freeze up and they will lose their grip and often fall. Thus, the term raining iguanas," said Magill.

If you come across one that is not moving on a cold morning, Magill says to leave it alone. It may look dead but it's not.

"As soon as the sun comes up they start heating up, then they scurry away."

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