The Sonoran Desert is not what it used to be. Over the past century, invasive grasses have spread across the region and transformed the landscape from the familiar diverse desert to more of an arid grassland that is highly susceptible to fires. Invasive grasses from buffelgrass to red brome to love grass have dramatically altered how fire can move through the desert. Places that used to burn once every 200 years may now be burning every 20 years because these grasses serve as a fuel source than can easily spread wildfires. They sprout up in places that would normally be barren, connecting otherwise separate patches of desert plants.