My morning walk with the dogs takes us down our dirt road, across some undeveloped land, along the boundary with the Coronada National Forest, and down some Arizona State land. I particularly like the part that is just cross-country because of the diversity in vegetation, and I have a great view of the Sulphur Springs Valley as well.
Today I was dismayed at finding Russian Thistle (Salsola kali var. tenuifolia) along my path. Some people call it Tumbleweed because of its nasty habit of rolling along in the wind when it has died (it's an annual). This is how its seeds are spread (it is also brought along by people, or rather their vehicles), and grows on any disturbed soil as along roadways. Here I found it where surveyors had been. I am vigilant about fighting its progress on our own place because it is invasive and can take over the native vegetation in a matter of a couple of years.
Anyway, I spent about a half hour pulling it up. Russian Thistle has great survival techniques: it is prickly, the roots break off easily at soil level, and it loves to grow among other plants, such as the scrubby (and thorny) mesquites. I was lucky that it had rained about 0.25" last night, so it let go from the soil pretty easily, and most of it was not yet in bloom. Hopefully I will have stopped its progress, or at least slowed it.
It made me late for breakfast and got Dan worried, who came looking for me. The dogs stuck with me though; perhaps it just gave them more opportunity to poke their noses into rabbit holes...
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