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Miley Cyrus joined a group that is becoming increasingly reviled among people who care about preserving the iconic succulents that give Joshua Tree National Park its name.

The 26-year-old singer and actress, wearing a floral onesie, recently visited the high desert park east of Los Angeles, as her Instagram account shows. She also apparently thought, like some other tourists, that it would be fun to climb one of the park’s famously distinctive trees and pose for photos that she would share on social media.

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But many among her 90 million followers were horrified by her two tree-sitting photos, which gained a combined 4,300 comments. People called her “ignorant,” “vain,” “selfish” and “shameless” for climbing and potentially damaging a species that is protected under state law.

“Joshua trees are dying out because of their fragility, and folks climbing on them isn’t helping curb that. Delete this before more damage is done,” wrote one person.

“You have successfully thumbed your nose at the environment and the earth we all share together,” wrote another.

“Please stop posting these, all you are communicating is that your vanity is more important than the fragile ecosystem you are using as a backdrop,” posted yet another person.

Others gave Cyrus the benefit of the doubt, saying she may have meant no harm. But they pointed out that her celebrity could give other tourists the wrong idea that it is fun, cool and even glamorous to climb the trees.

“It is so damaging to these plants to climb them. Even more so when you do it because you influence so many others,” someone wrote.

Many in the Joshua Tree community likewise raised concerns over Cyrus’ photos, which received a combined total of 1.6 million likes, the Palm Springs Desert-Sun reported.

Joshua trees aren’t actually trees, but are succulents that are native to the Mojave desert, according to the National Wildlife Federation. Known officially as Yucca brevifolia, the plants are protected under state law, while federal laws prohibit damaging national park wildlife and plants, the Desert-Sun reported in January.

Geary Hunt, executive director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust, told the Desert-Sun that Joshua trees have a shallow root system and that additional weight can damage tree branches.

“We ask that Miley Cyrus consider her status as a public figure and remove this photo from her social media accounts in order to educate others and to prevent potential damage to Joshua trees,” Hund wrote.

Other locals told the Desert-Sun it was disappointing to see a popular celebrity effectively undermine their work to educate the public about the trees’ fragile beauty.

“I admire Miley Cyrus so much but, as a community, the people of Joshua Tree have tried so hard to educate the general public about the desert and Joshua trees specifically, and this just feels like a monumental setback,” Susan Burnett told the Desert-Sun. She manages the Mojave Sands hotel in downtown Joshua Tree.

“There is no way to erase the idea her image presents that climbing these endangered plants is cool,” Burnett added to the Desert-Sun. “I’m counting on her to help make this right and use her platform to help us preserve these ancient beauties.”

The Desert-Sun reported in January that tourists unknowingly damage the trees by sitting on them or by hanging hammocks from them. From Cyrus’ posts, it also appears that tourists are causing damage by using the trees as backdrops for selfies. During the recent government shutdown, reports say, an unspecified number of trees were damaged by tourists and vandals while security at the park was lacking.

Madena Asbell, director of the Mojave Desert Land Trust’s plant conservation programs, told the Desert-Sun that the trees are “a unique part of our natural heritage” because they don’t grow anywhere else on Earth.

“They are part of the rich, yet fragile, biological diversity of our desert and they’re an important part of the ecosystem,” Asbell continued. “They are also one of the reasons people come here from all over the country and the world. They deserve our respect and they need our protection.”