Montana Tech, University of Szeged researchers find invasive plants do more harm together

On an August day, west of Montana Technological University’s campus in Butte, a sea of white baby’s breath stretches across the landscape. The beautiful and delicate plant, an ornamental popular in flower arrangements and native to Eurasia, doesn’t look particularly menacing, but researchers say their impact on native grasslands they invade is anything but harmless. Montana Tech Professor of Ecological Restoration Dr. Robert Pal and visiting researcher Dr. László Bakacsy spent part of the summer studying invasive plants west of campus, including baby’s breath (Gypsophila paniculata), spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe), yellowtuft alyssum (Alyssum murale) and smooth brome (Bromus inermis). Dr. László Bakacsy…