Volunteer Training

Pronghorn antelope, another important species protected at the Bison Range

Native lupine

Nathan Rudd, of The Nature Conservancy, leads a volunteer training session.

Jenny Ericson, of the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service, holds a Dalmatian toadflax specimen.

Volunteers walk through a field infested with Dalmatian toadflax.

The National Bison Range Complex is home to one of the most important herds of wild bison in the United States. Part of the effort to preserve this herd involves weeding out invasive plant species that threaten the grasses and plants that this herd and other grazing animals depend on for survival.

While at least 10 plant species threaten this region, the project will focus on Dalmatian toadflax, an aggressive perennial native to the Mediterranean region. Most likely brought into this country as an ornamental, Dalmatian toadflax grows up to four feet tall with waxy, heart-shaped leaves and yellow flowers, blooming in midsummer and early fall. Like many invasives, Dalmatian toadflax spreads by seed and by root.

Other invasive plant species that threaten this national treasure include: spotted knapweed, St. John’s wort, sulphur cinquefoil, hoary cress, Canada thistle, purple loosestrife, musk thistle, oxeye daisy, and tansy ragwort.

Click on any photo for a larger view.

All photos provided by Mandy Tu of The Nature Conservancy

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