Invasive Species

Imagine being a fragile seedling pushing through the earth and reaching for the sun — but constantly being smothered by strange grasses growing faster and taller than you are. That is the plight of the Island Phacelia (Phacelia insularis var. insularis), a tiny flower found only on Santa Rosa and San Miguel Islands, part of the remote and hauntingly gorgeous Channel Islands National Park off the coast of Los Angeles. USGS scientists are monitoring the precarious survival of this highly endangered plant species, and helping the National Park Service understand how to reverse the spread and impact of invasive grasses choking this island ecosystem.