Rocky Mountain Chapter - Colorado

Get Outdoors Weeds Page

Leave No Weeds

How recreationists can reduce the spread of alien weeds in the backcountry

Submitted by Angela Medbery

Alien plants in Colorado can cause problems by crowding out native plants and taking over wildlife habitat.  While they may provide ersoion control in some areas and food sources for wildlife it behooves us to do the best we can to prevent alien species from taking over our wildlands.  While less than 10% of our public lands are infested with weeds, we do not wish this number to increase and must do what we can to prevent the spreed of weeds.

BE AWARE AND PREPARE:

• Learn to identify weeds and exotic species
• Rid camping gear, boots and clothing of mud and seed before each trip and campsite
• Regularly check your clothes and equipment for weed seeds
• Use and pack only certified weed seed free feeds
• Feed stock certified weed free feed for 3 to 4 days before a pack trip
• Brush animals before and after backcountry trips to remove weed seed

• Wash your rig, bikes, and recreational vehicles BEFORE and AFTER each outing
• Stay on established roads and trails
• Camp only at established or designated campsites
• Avoid camping in or hiking through weed infested areas
• Avoid soil disturbing activities and practices

• Learn to identify weeds in the areas you like to recreate
• Bag or burn any weed seed you find
• Pull small infestations of non-rhizomatous* weeds (always wear gloves)
• Be careful not to spread weed seed if you pack it out
• Don't pull any plant you can't identify

• Report only new and small infestations of weeds that are a problem in your area

*A rootlike underground stem, commonly horizontal in position, that usually produces roots below and sends up shoots progressively from the upper survace.

The State Noxious Weeds for Colorado Are ("Click" on underlined names for a photo or drawing of that particular plant):

(The following weed species, listed in alphabetical order, are identified as the State Noxious Weeds.  They have been identified by individual counties as problem weeds in the county's area or have been recommended for management through public testimony.  These weed species should be considered by each local advisory board and local governing body in the development, adoption and enforcement of their noxious weed list and noxious weed management plan.)  Note: clicking on underlined weed names will provide a photograph of the plant in question.  Clicking on the word "drawing" will provide a line drawing of the plant in question.

• African rue (Peganum harmala)
• Black henbane (Hyoscyamus niger)
• Black knapweed (Centaurea nigra)
• Black nightshade (Solanum nigrum) (Drawing)
• Blue mustard (Chorispora tenella) (Drawing)
• Bouncing bet (Saponaria officinalis) (Drawing)
• Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare)
• Camelthorn (Alhagi pseudalhagi)
• Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)
• Chicory (Cichorium intybus)
• Chinese clematis (Clematis orientalis)
• Coast tarweed (Madia sativa)
• Common burdock (Arctium minus)
• Common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)
• Common mullein (Verbascum thapsus)
• Common St. Johnswort (Hypericum perforatum)
• Common tansy (Tanacetum vulgare)
• Common teasel (Dipsacus fullonum)
• Cypress spurge (Euphorbia cyparissias)
• Dalmatian toadflax (Linaria dalmatica)
• Dame's rocket (Hesperis matronalis)
• Diffuse knapweed (Centaurea diffusa)
• Downy brome (Bromus tectorum) (Drawing)
• Dyer's woad (Isatis tinctoria)
• Field bindweed (Convolvulus arvensis)
• Flixweed (Descurainia sophia) (Drawing)
• Green foxtail (Setaria viridis) (Drawing)
• Hairy nightshade (Solanum sarrachoides)
• Halogeton (Halogeton glomeratus)
• Hoary cress (Cardaria draba)
• Houndstongue (Cynoglossum officinale)
• Johnsongrass (Sorghum halepense)
• Jointed goatgrass (Aegilops cylindrica)
• Kochia (Kochia scoparia)
• Leafy spurge (Euphorbia esula)
• Longspine sandbur (Cenchrus longispinus)
• Mayweed chamomile (Anthemis cotula)
• Mediterranean sage (Salvia aethiopis) (Drawing)
• Musk thistle (Carduus nutans)
• Myrtle spurge (Euphorbia myrsinites)
• Oxeye daisy (Chrysanthemum leucanthemum)
• Perennial pepperweed (Lepidium latifolium)
• Plumeless thistle (Carduus acanthoides)
• Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) (Drawing)
• Puncturevine (Tribulus terrestris)
• Purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria)
• Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens)
• Redstem filaree (Erodium cicutarium)
• Rush skeletonweed (Chondrilla juncea)
• Russian knapweed (Centaurea repens)
• Russian thistle (Salsola collina)
• Russian thistle (Salsola iberica)
• Saltcedar (Tamarix parviflora)
• Saltcedar (Tamarix ramosissima)
• Scentless chamomile (Anthemis arvensis)
• Scotch thistle (Onopordum acanthium)
• Scotch thistle (Onopordum tauricum)
• Spotted knapweed (Centaurea maculosa)
• Squarrose knapweed (Centaurea virgata)
• Sulfur cinquefoil (Potentilla recta)
• Teasel (Dipsacus sylvestris) (Drawing)
• Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)
• Wild caraway (Carum carvi)
• Wild mustard (Brassica kaber) (Drawing)
• Wild proso millet (Panicum miliaceum) (Drawing)
• Yellow foxtail (Setaria glauca) (Drawing)
• Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus)
• Yellow starthistle (Centaurea solstitialis)
• Yellow toadflax (Linaria vulgaris)

Links:

• Bureau of Land Management Colorado Weed Management page
• Colorado Native Plant Society
• Colorado State University Extension Plant Talk
• CWMA Colorado Weed Management Association
• State of Colorado Noxious Weeds Act

Back to our main Get Outdoors page...

Outings Chair: Jacob Morgan

Assistant Outings Chair: Gary Matthews

Member of Peak to Peak Trail and Wilderness Links

Last update:
September 26, 2003

Roger J. Wendell Get Outdoors webmaster