Crowdog, Slap knows that Mr. Milkvetch grows all over the place in MOther G, but Slap heard there is all kinds of milkvetch that grow all over the place. Is dat true? Wonder what would happen if Slap brought another species of Milkvetch to Mother G and tried to grow it?

He'd probably be hassled, maybe even arrested, for introducing non-native plants into the environment.

Damn whitecoats

But, if he just happened to have one hitch a ride on his vehicle, not knowing of course, it migh intermingle with the native plant and spread

Slap,

I had heard that PMV may exist at Kelso Dunes. I went there last Easter to check it out. I found a close cousin to PMV:



Didn't find any PMV at Kelso, but it is very hard to know for sure. There is so much sand to cover, and since it was designated as a Wilderness Area, you just can't see much on foot. That is about a 600 ft. elevation change from the parking area to the top. It was quite a hike.



One of the big problems with the ESA is it protects subspecies with only tiny differences just as much as a full blown species.

The ESA can separate a species because the seed pod is 1/50th smaller than another pod on another, almost identical plant somewhere else? Do they also sub-specie because of location?

That is how they enviros are pushing for protection of the Sand Mountain Blue Butterfly:


The only difference between subspecies of these blue butterflies is very minor changes in color/spots and/or size of their genitals. I am not kidding.

Most rational people believe that geographic races with minor differences should not stand alone as distinct subspecies capable of being protected under the ESA. But the scientists that get to decide more often than not are greenies themselves. There is no government oversite to new species creation. DNA is allowing scientists to "discover" new subspecies, and close down more land. This is a huge deal with things like insects that don't have a large range.

How in the heck did someone get the job of measuring a butterfly's genitals? I don't think I'd want to meet the guy who is able to locate a winkie that small.

From the wildflower hotline:

"Pierson’s milkvetch is on the federal threatened list and the California endangered species list and exists only in the dunes and in a small, isolated population in Northern Mexico.

Sorry, google is my friend. If it grows in Mexico can't they just transplant more of it to the dunes if they need to? Enough other "plant life" is smuggled across our borders.