 This patch of larkspur that I'm in is ground zero in the battle between plants and animals. Complex chemical warfare between plants and the animals that eat them occurs constantly and everywhere on earth. All plants produce toxic chemicals to protect themselves from consumers varying in size from microorganisms to insects to cows or even elephants. Often plants have a bitter taste that animals avoid. However, when the toxins get powerful enough to kill us or the plants and animals we value, humans start to pay attention. Some of Wyoming's prettiest wildflowers are poisonous. For example, this small member of the lily family called death camus is capable of killing any of our domestic animals or people. Lupin sometimes grows in beautiful dense stands in the mountains, but it's capable of causing death or major deformities in calves. Toxins found in larkspur plants are poisonous to nerve tissue. Often invasive weeds from other continents are toxic. This Russian napweed, for example, causes brain damage in animals that eat too much of it. Napweeds even emit chemicals from their roots that keep other plants from growing close to them. Unseen chemical warfare is a major factor in grazing animal behavior and range management. From the University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension Service, I'm Barton Stamm exploring the nature of Wyoming.