The many species of larkspur (Delphinium�spp.) are among the most dangerous poisonous plants on rangelands in the western United States, causing death losses estimated at 2-5% (sometimes as much as 15%) per year for cattle grazing in larkspur habitat. Other effects, such as altered grazing management regimes and consequent lost forage quantity and quality, are significant but poorly understood.� In the face of these consistent losses, range scientists have spent more than a century studying�Delphinium�species, resulting in significant progress in our understanding of the biology of many species but limited progress on overall losses. The current best practice recommendation focuses on seasonal avoidance of grazing in larkspur habitat, but creates problems of its own by limiting access to pastures during the most productive time of year. Growing evidence suggests that it instead may be possible to graze at any time, regardless of plant toxicity. In this presentation I will report on an ongoing multi-level study of Geyer larkspur (Delphinium geyeri), wherein we are incorporating experimental evidence, case study data, agent-based modeling, and a complex systems approach to derive new adaptive strategies for grazing in larkspur habitat.
Oral presentation and poster titles, abstracts, and authors from the Society for Range Management (SRM) Annual Meetings and Tradeshows, from 2013 forward.