Can You Help Saguaro National Park Fight The Invasive Stinknet?
If you live near the national park, you are being encouraged to help track and even remove this dangerous plant. The Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, is urging the public to help in the removal of invasive stinknet, a plant native to southern Africa that is causing health and safety issues within its ecosystem. Stinknet (Oncosiphon pilulifer) is currently blooming across southern Arizona and is believed to be the most dangerous invasive plant since buffelgrass was introduced in the 1930s. The park is asking for public members to help track down the flowers and then remove them. The public is urged to submit their findings to the National Park on www.stinknet.org and report their findings daily. Volunteers can also participate in volunteer plant pull efforts.
公開済み : 4週間前 沿って Dr. Russell Moul の
The Saguaro National Park in Tucson, Arizona, is asking members of the public to keep an eye out for a new creeping threat in the Sonoran Desert: invasive stinknet. This strongly scented herb is currently blooming across southern Arizona, and park officials want it removed before it sets seed.
Stinknet (Oncosiphon pilulifer) is an invasive species that is native to southern Africa. It is characterized by a vibrant yellow flower that favors dunes and scrubland. It spreads via seeds that can be transported long distances by human activity. Although it is pretty to look at, biologists believe it may be the most dangerous invasive plant since buffelgrass – another plant native to Africa, as well as Asia and the Middle East – was introduced in the 1930s.
Stinknet is not only starting to take over native wildflowers, but it also poses several risks to health and overall safety within its ecosystem. It tends to grow in thick, dense strands which become significant fire risks when they dry out. The plant also has oily foliage that can irritate the skin, and the smoke it produces when burnt has been linked to respiratory problems, as it is caustic.
This is why the National Park is calling on visitors and residents of the wider Tucson area: they need people to help track down the flowers so they can monitor its spread and then remove it.
“We have a unique opportunity right now to work together and protect this desert landscape that we love,” Frankie Foley, a biologist at Saguaro National Park, said in a statement. “We’re asking the public to notify us when they find stinknet plants by going to www.stinknet.org and submitting a report. We are monitoring those reports daily and contacting landowners to prevent further spread.”
If you are feeling particularly invested, you can also join one of the volunteer plant pull efforts that are being organized by the National Park in collaboration with the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Pima County, Tucson Audubon Society, and the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum.
Most importantly, if you do come across the stinknet in the wild, you should avoid touching or stepping on it. In fact, avoid getting close to it at all. This is because you may unwittingly carry some of its seeds to new places, inadvertently contributing to the spread of this yellow scourge.