Apropos last week’s discussions of tamarisk comes this Tucson Weekly story about buffelgrass, an African invader that is playing havoc with the Sonoran desert:

In spite of the frantic warnings of ecologists and land managers, and despite some valiant and surprisingly effective local efforts, the problem is now so acute that biologists view buffelgrass as an imminent threat to the entire Sonoran Desert ecosystem.

My understanding is that buffelgrass is not (yet?) an issue in New Mexico, but perhaps someone down south (hint hint) can shed some light?

Hat tip Julio Betancourt for sending me the article. The guy’s on a crusade about this.