Most people have heard of cheatgrass (Bromus tectorm) and even if you haven’t, you have probably seen it. If you’ve ever walked through a grassland in the foothills there is a good chance you have had to remove its prickly seeds from your socks!
Cheatgrass is a noxious weed found throughout Colorado that can displace native species. Though it is perfectly capable of invading undisturbed ecosystems, it does especially well in areas that have been disturbed; this could be along roads and trails, in heavily grazed fields, or following fire and floods. Once established, cheatgrass is difficult to control and has the ability to modify the native plant community. It can alter soil properties, displace native species, and can actually change the fire frequency of an area.

You see, cheatgrass has a couple tricks up its sleeve that allows it to become so abundant. First, this grass is originally from Europe and Asia, hitchhiking its way to North America by way of ships. This means that none of its natural predators are around to keep this plant in check.

Second, cheatgrass is a winter annual, a plant whose seeds germinate in the fall and whose root system grows throughout the winter when most plants are sleeping. By spring, when many of the native seeds germinate and native species start growing again, cheatgrass may already be dominating the underground landscape. Cheatgrass is also a high water user; it has an extensive, very shallow root system that is able to intercept rainfall before it can reach the roots of many of the native species.

Third, cheatgrass can increase the fire frequency of its home. Since cheatgrass germinates early in the spring, it dries up early in the summer, creating vast areas of dry grasslands by July. The dry stalks of cheatgrass are highly flammable and they often burn before native species can produce seeds. These are just a few of the reasons cheatgrass is so successful in this region. Native plants have to compete for a place to grow, nutrients, and water; often this is too much stress and the native plants die back while the cheatgrass spreads farther and farther into the forests and across the plains.

What can you do to stop the spread of this nasty weed?

• Clean all seeds from your clothing, your pets, and your vehicles before leaving an area you know to be infested with cheatgrass.
• Be sure to completely put out your campfire, never throw cigarette butts out a window or on the ground, and always drive on designated roads (never drive through tall, dry grass as hot exhaust can ignite the vegetation).
• Remove any cheatgrass you see on your property
• Volunteer with RMFI or other stewardship organizations for invasive species removal work days!

Image: Cheatgass (the grass with a reddish tinge) invading a native arid plant community. Photo by Toiyabe at English Wikipedia