Non-natives - Sahara Mustard (Brassica tournefortii) and Eurasian Collared Dove

Eurasian Collared Dove: Image from WikipediaBuffelgrass has become well known as an invasive exotic species, but many other dangerous exotics threaten parts of the southwest and have garnered much less attention. One in particular comes to mind from my experiences: Sahara mustard (Brassica tournefortii). This mustard has an affinity for sandy or bottomland soil in the middle and especially lower elevation Sonoran Desert. It has spread rapidly across large areas of southwestern Arizona and southeastern California. I've recently seen it in several disturbing places including the Pinacate Biosphere Reserve, in Bear Canyon in the Catalinas, and Saguaro National Park (east and west!). The Arizona/Sonora Desert Museum has a good webpage on this mustard it which you can see here.

Another species we all should be keeping our eye on is the Eurasian Collared Dove, which appears to be becoming more common in Arizona and Sonora. It may start displacing native doves such as the White-winged Dove and Mourning Dove, amoung others. This year 2010 seems to be a boom year for the Eurasian Collared Dove in Tucson. I now spot on an almost daily basis.