When thin shoots of cheatgrass are the first plants to green up in the spring, mule deer might nibble the tops like any of us might idly crunch last week’s pretzels still sitting on our office desks.

Mule deer graze in sagebrush during the fall 2023 migration near the Prospect Mountains in western Wyoming. New UW research shows that cheatgrass and other invasive plants are threatening deer habitat ...