Archive for the ‘Buffelgrass’ Tag
Pampas Grass In Sabino Canyon — Image by kenne
For many, pampas grass is an ornamental landscape plant, for others it’s an environmentally dangerous plant that crowds out indigenous desert plants and can become kneeling for wildfires. Sabino Canyon has a lot of pampas grass, fountain grass, buffel grass and other invasive plants. The battle to remove these invasive plants continues on National Public Lands Day as Sabino Stewards (Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalists) and community members will be digging, pulling, and bagging invasive plants near the Sabino Creek area. This activity is one of several activities that will be taking place in the Coronado National Forest September 24th on Public Lands Day. All fees are waived for the day.
— kenne
Once an invasive species arrives, it’s about impossible yo get rid of it.
— Sean Hanna
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Buffelgrass In Sabino Canyon — Images by kenne
When the Tucson area experiences sub-freezing temperatures, as it did a week ago, many express a concern for our stately Saguaro cacti. This icon of the Sonoran Desert can be damaged by long hours below freezing, depending on the health of each cactus, but the biggest treat to the saguaro is fire. The above images show many saguaro cactus surrounded by an invasive species, Buffelgrass. The upper right of the top photos has no buffelgrass, which represents a more normal view of the canyon vegetation.
Buffelgrass grows densely and crowds out native plants of similar size. Competition for water can weaken and kill larger desert plants. Dense roots and ground shading prevent germination of seeds. Buffelgrass can kill most native plants by these means alone. However, buffelgrass provides an intense fuel for wildfires and resprouts vigorously after fires, where most native desert plants are killed — including the saguaros.
Removing buffelgrass from steep slopes such as those being inspected by Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist, Mark Hengersbaugh is a very difficult task, which often involves the individual removal of each plant.
The image below is from a posting about a year ago I did on buffelgrass. Many volunteers are at work removing this invasive plant, but many more are needed. (Click here for link to earlier posting.)
kenne
Markus removing buffelgrass in the Esperero Canyon, February 24, 2012 — Images by kenne
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Buffelgrass has taken over most of the left slop of this area in the Esperero Canyon. Even so, Markus has dedicated himself to removing buffelgrass one plant at a time.
Esperero Trail runs from Sabino Canyon, through Rattlesnake and Bird Canyons before entering Esperero Canyon and a series of switchbacks up to a ridge, appropriately called “Cardiac Gap.” This is the second time in a little over a month that we have hiked this trial to the gap. This time, as in January, the weather was beautiful, with an abundance of “Tucson blue” sky, but this time the wildflowers were making an early spring appearance, especially at the higher elevations along the trail.
Even with all the natural beauty of the Santa Catalina Mountains, on this day it was being co-opted by invasive plants species, one of which is buffelgrass. Although much too common to southern Arizona and most of Sonora, it is native to most of Africa, the Middle East, Indonesia and nearby islands, and tropical Asia. A big competitor for water, it weakens and kills larger desert plants, while making it difficult for new native plant growth. Additionally, buffelgrass provides “gas on the fire” for wildfires, which would destroy most desert plants like the Saguaro cactus, but not buffelgrass — buffelgrass would be the first to grow back.
Although there are several southern Arizona organized efforts to rid the areas of this invasive plant, i.e., Southern Arizona Buffelgrass Coordinating Center (SABCC) and the Sonoran Desert Weedwackers, many individuals put in long hours along on the difficult canyon slops of the picturesque Catalina Mountains. My hat’s off to Markus and the many others with his passion and drive.
kenne
Markus removing buffelgrass in the Esperero Canyon, February 24, 2012 — Images by kenne
Source: “Buffelgrass is a wildfire waiting to happen.” http://www.buffelgrass.org/
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Fountaingrass and Buffelgrass In The Dry Creekbed of Sabino Creek — Image by kenne
If you Google “Fountaingrass,” you will find a lot of information on these attractive ornamental plants, such as where to buy, care, etc. However, these beautiful grasses are a threat to our environment. The spread of these invasive species create serious environmental problems. The web-site, INVADERS (Invaders of the Sonoran Desert Region a Product of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum) states:
“Fountaingrass (and bufflegrass) is a large grass that produces lots of seeds that spreads rapidly from cultivation into nearby disturbed areas, and eventually into natural habitats. It often forms dense stands and aggressively competes with native species, especially perennial grasses and seasonal annuals, for space, water, and nutrients, and is most common in riparian habitats within paloverde-saguaro desertscrub in the Arizona Upland Sonoran Desert.”
Alberto Búrquez MontÍjo has stated, “We know … that the replacement of Sonoran Desert plants by buffelgrass means a large loss of species, so large that 90 of every 100 species disappear in dense buffelgrass stands. …”
These invasive grasses from Africa and the Middle East have created severe fire hazards to the Sonoran Desert, especially for saguaros and other cacti who have a low tolerance for fire. “Once these plants have been killed by fire, it takes many years for new ones to mature. The grasses, on the other hand, are fire-adapted and come back robustly with the next rain.”
In the desert, it is important to grow native — don’t plant a pest! Let nature create its own beautiful environment. Often, man’s good intentions have a way of backfiring.
kenne
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When the Tucson area experiences sub-freezing temperatures, as it did a week ago, many express a concern for our stately Saguaro cacti. This icon of the Sonoran Desert can be damaged by long hours below freezing, depending on the health of each cactus, but the biggest treat to the saguaro is fire. The above images show many saguaro cactus surrounded by an invasive species, Buffelgrass. The upper right of the top photos has no buffelgrass, which represents a more normal view of the canyon vegetation.
Buffelgrass grows densely and crowds out native plants of similar size. Competition for water can weaken and kill larger desert plants. Dense roots and ground shading prevent germination of seeds. Buffelgrass can kill most native plants by these means alone. However, buffelgrass provides an intense fuel for wildfires and resprouts vigorously after fires, where most native desert plants are killed — including the saguaros.
Removing buffelgrass from steep slopes such as those being inspected by Sabino Canyon Volunteer Naturalist, Mark Hengersbaugh is a very difficult task, which often involves the individual removal of each plant.
The image below is from a posting about a year ago I did on buffelgrass. Many volunteers are at work removing this invasive plant, but many more are needed. (Click here for link to earlier posting.)
kenne
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