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January 16, 2007
See them tumbling down...
 |
| I ran across this remarkable specimen of
Johnny Bidwell's Transient Thistle. It was discovered
in 1841 by General
John
Bidwell when he crossed the Rockies and Sierras with the
first overland expedition arriving in the Sacramento Valley. The plants
are known for their rolling form of locomotion. From extensive studies
I knew this was a list 1B California Native Plant Society herb, and so
I quickly cordoned off
the area to protect the plant. A stiff breeze blew up and the plant began rolling, so I was forced to take down the cordon, and put it back up several times. Mobile plants are very difficult to preserve. Of course I'm just kidding, Bidwell didn't discover this plant, and probably didn't like being called "Johnny". But tumbling along the train tracks and across 8th Avenue are tumbleweeds. I have lots of experience with tumbleweeds, also known as Russian Thistle, having spent many summers in New Mexico at a cattle ranch. I also once tied a 3' diameter tumbleweed to my Army helmet when training in Yakima desert (WA). As long as I rolled along the ground, nobody could see through my camouflage. After doing a little research I found out the unthinkable. This western icon is actually an invasive species transported into the U.S. from the Ukraine in a flax shipment (first reported in 1877). Now whenever I see a Ukrainian I'm going to hear that whistle from the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly. These days when biking to work I hum the song "Tumbling Tumbleweeds" and ponder gunfights, childhood trips to New Mexico, camouflage techniques, Ukrainian farmers, and the City's invasive plant manual, all in one sweepingly grand thought process. Tumbleweeds in Chico, who'd have thought? Hum along with me... " See them tumbling down Pledging their love to the ground Lonely but free I'll be found Drifting along with the tumbling tumble weed" |
Posted by Lon at January 16, 2007 12:00 AM