Invasive Plant Removal

Seasonal biological science technician Kelsey Loverink is the project lead for the Refuge's invasive plant species program. In this photo, Kelsey stands next to a mature invasive musk thistle while she sprays young thistle rosettes, which would become next year's mature plants. Mature musk thistle plants, as seen in this picture, simply have their flower heads removed to prevent seeding. This strategy effectively controls their spread without herbicide use since these plants are biennial and are at the end of their life cycle when in flowering stage. Photo by Cortez Rohr/USFWS.