Kendrick mountain from a distance and up close. All but the first photo were taken from within the area burned in the Pumpkin Fire in 2000 and then the Boundary Fire in 2017. This mountain won't be the same for a long time. The Pumpkin fire was a crown fire that burned very hot, killing off most of the trees and many other plants while baking the soil. Clearing out the canopy and disturbing the soil with an intense fire created the perfect habitat for invasive weeds. The most aggressive invasive plants are good at competing for scarce resources in disturbed sites. L. dalmatica is extensively colonizing the burn scar, competing with native species for scarce water resources. A couple weeks ago we released Mecinus janthinus on the mountain, a weevil that only eats a few plants in the genus Linaria. In northern AZ, two Linaria species grow: L. dalmatica and L. vulgare, Dalmatian toadflax and yellow toadflax. Both of these plants are invasive weeds, as are all plants in the genus Linaria growing in the US. Mecinus janthinus is released on wild infestations of toadflaxes to help control their populations. The goal is for the weevils to bring the toadflax populations to low enough numbers to make herbicide application feasible. Despite the robust L. dalmatica pupulations, it's still beautiful up there! Can you see the little rainbow and the elk in the 3rd photo? #invasivespecies #invasiveplants #fire #forestfire #ecology #science #arizona #botanize #botany #plants #nature #naturephotography #naturalist #inspiration #KendrickMountain #PumpkinFire #BoundaryFire #moutains #naturelover #views #invasivespecies (at Kendrick Mountain Wilderness)
