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Well, we used to sell tumbleweeds, but we don't anymore,
The truth is, these things get big, but they are very light. And because
they are so big, they require a large box. However, that large box takes
up a large space, albeit FexEx or UPS. And both of those shippers are
going to charge big bucks for that space which means it's just not
feasible for us to ship. So, we just decided to tell you a bit about the
lowly tumbleweed instead. A bit about our interesting 'pest' and how it
got here. We live with it on a regular basis but people who travel to
our state, or other prairie states, wonder just what in the world they
are.
It's fascinating to watch the darned things roll across prairies and
highways when the wind blows in the fall and winter. Guests to our
native state of Wyoming naturally wonder what in the dickens they are
trying to dodge on the highway!
If it's small, it's not a major problem, but sometimes, these things
will collide and really grow quite a mass, rolling across a highway
sometimes doing a bit of damage to a small or medium car or irritating a
driver by mucking up the undercarriage of a vehicle. To the farmer or
the rancher, it's a pain in the woo-hoo to remove these
you-know-what's from the fence line either spring or fall as they can
easily gather quite a bit of weight which can then gather more
snow, additional brush (you get the idea) etc. and then bring a fence line
down. Not a rancher's best friend!
Where did these little
jewels come from? Originally Mongolia, believe it or not. They are
called the Russian Thistle and apparently, like many other seeds and
insects, hitched a ride on some grain and then a ship headed to the
U.S. bringing these little sweethearts to us. The rest is history.
The plant seems to like dry and arid
conditions. It's a prickly kind of plant and thrives in poor soil
conditions, but I've also seen it grow in pastures, where it's not
supposed to grow (like in cultivated ground and flower gardens!),
roadsides etc. It starts off dark green and kind of pretty, actually,
but soon as the summer turns to fall, it gets dry and woody. The plant
is approximately 3 to 3 1/2 feet tall and round but I've seem them much
larger or smaller. They are round in shape, and when they dry up, they
break off. Because of our windy plains, they tend to roll with the wind,
(hence the tumbleweed name) and unfortunately distribute their seeds
wherever they go as the roll along! Now you
know the history of the tumbleweed....Makes you think of the old 1930's
song Drifting Along with the Tumbling Tumbleweeds, doesn't it?
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