I had project on the east side of the Cascade Range that involved some soil sampling to assess fill soils and underlying native soils on a site. The green grass on a sunny spring day looked like a soft easy project.
After a bit of digging I knelt on the grass to gather up some soil samples and label the sampling containers. I felt a few pokes through my pants that I initially assumed to be Russian thistles (tumble weeds) which are prevalent in areas with disturbed ground. However, when I reached the pavement with samples and equipment in hand, I found I had a coating of woody thorns on my shoe bottoms.
The hard woody thorns are from Tribulus terrastris.
(https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/puncturevine)
The common name for this plant varies, but on this day the name puncturevine seemed applicable.
Sat on the curb and pulled the thorns out of my shoes. I gathered the seeds and put them in a bag for later burning. I did not want to spread this non native plant anymore than it already has.
After a bit of digging I knelt on the grass to gather up some soil samples and label the sampling containers. I felt a few pokes through my pants that I initially assumed to be Russian thistles (tumble weeds) which are prevalent in areas with disturbed ground. However, when I reached the pavement with samples and equipment in hand, I found I had a coating of woody thorns on my shoe bottoms.
The hard woody thorns are from Tribulus terrastris.
(https://www.nwcb.wa.gov/weeds/puncturevine)
The common name for this plant varies, but on this day the name puncturevine seemed applicable.
Sat on the curb and pulled the thorns out of my shoes. I gathered the seeds and put them in a bag for later burning. I did not want to spread this non native plant anymore than it already has.
2 comments:
Us E. Wash locals call them Goatheads and they wreak havoc on bike tires.
Yesterday a friend told me of getting multiple flats from puncture vine, while mountain biking at Pine Bluffs (southeast corner of WY).
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