Observations Brome occurs in the aspen understory, where it is cool and shady. Brome is more common at the base of hills and in slight basins where there is more moisture. Brome and thistle grow inward from the sides of the park, and outward from the pathways. Fescue grassland still exists within the newer growth of brome, but has become compromised. In older brome stands there is not as great a variety of other plants as there is within the fescue. In the southeast quadrant of the park there is a patch of brome that has grown considerably over the three growing seasons. The southern boundary of brome has been steadily advancing northward over the three growing seasons. Pulling goat’s beard (another invasive weed) by hand seems to keep it under control. Thistle has grown outwards by large amounts every year, despite efforts to control it by pulling them out. Creeping bellflower is not yet a very big problem but there are three small patches which could become problems. There is a geocahe in Whispering Woods that has attracted community members and school children off the paths into the willow groves. There are now trampled areas of healthy grassland leading to the geocache. The central area has recovered since the gravel pathways were put in because people no longer cut across this area. The dirt footpath in the southern half of the park becomes muddy in spring and after rainfalls. This footpath became braided after the June 2005 flooding, due to people walking beside the path instead of on the mud. The eastern side of the park has been disturbed by machinery and foot traffic, due to the building of the outdoor classroom, called the Prairie Amphitheatre. This area has been susceptible to brome, thistle and other weed invasions, but is being successfully managed by hand. The aspen groves have been extending their root systems into the rough fescue grassland. The buckbrush in the southeast quadrant has been growing, and does not seem to be affected by the brome grass. The most dominant plant that came back after the removal of the city’s black and clear plastic experiments was buckbrush. There is more brome around ant nests.