For the past week, we’ve been digitally recording bird calls from behind the Raymond Plank Creative Center at Ucross. The recorder (the SM2+ from Wildlife Acoustics) will automatically turn on to record ambient sound every day for 30 minutes before and after sunrise/sunset — thus recording the morning and evening choruses of local bird species. Read more about Recording bird calls[…]
One of the major tasks our field team is tackling this summer is mapping and modeling the distribution of leafy spurge (see earlier post) on the ranch. Its distinct yellow flowers and vibrant green leaves become more and more evident as the plains turn from green to brown in the dry heat of July. It Read more about Targeting leafy spurge[…]
Charlie found this common mullein that is nearly 2 meters tall!
Common Mullen (Verbascum thapsus) is an invasive biennial plant, often referred to as “pioneer’s TP” As it is easily crowded out by native species, it is not of significant ecological or agricultural concern. Common Mullen requires a period of winter dormancy to flower in its second growing season.
Our project website is now live:
We live in an era of globalization, the effects of which are felt in ecological as well as social and economic terms. Leafy Spurge (Euphorbia esula) is a native of Eurasia that found its way to North America in the early 1800s as a seed impurity. This invasive species is now a major menace throughout Read more about The plight of invasive species[…]
People tend to associate cactus with the deserts of the Southwest, but there is at least one species that’s also found on the High Plains. This is prickly pear (Opuntia humifusa), whose native range actually extends eastward from Wyoming and Montana all the way to New England and south to Florida. The bright yellow flowers Read more about Opuntia humifusa[…]
Every June, cottonwood trees (Populus deltoides var. occidentalis) release clouds of silky-haired seeds that can be carried for miles on wind and flowing water, and give the species its common name. The cottonwood is the most important native tree species of the High Plains, but its specialized riparian habitat is thinly scattered across the landscape. Read more about Summer snow[…]