'Wind witches' and thistles

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

"Wind witches" collect in a road ditch and catch on a fence -- squirming in the wind and dancing in the sunlight -- west of Culbertson, and climb a guy wire south of the Trenton dam. The first-known "Russian thistle" in America hitchhiked to South Dakota in 1877 in a load of flax seed imported by Ukrainian farmers. After that first growing season, the weeds dried and snapped their stems, blew easily across unfenced prairies and tumbled into American folklore as a perennial part of the Old West. Wherever the wind blows, the seeds spread, and, with a little bit of moisture, germinate in temperatures anywhere between 28 and 110 degrees. Mice, bighorn sheep and pronghorn antelope eat Russian thistle in the spring, although later, nothing much eats it unless it's the only thing available. Tumbleweeds are pretty tough on car grills when weeds -- with stems close to the size of small trees -- try to cross against traffic.

To Read More
Subscribe Sign In
Continue reading with a subscription
Subscription options