Russian Thistle

Does anyone know the common name for this pain in the neck plant that reproduces in my vineyard faster than the field mice and rabbits? The first spring I saw the cute little green plants popping up in every little wrinkle of dirt. I was so excited because I thought it would be a beautiful wild flower (I do have many of those, really) that I could transplant in the flower garden I was planning. I asked a plant expert the name of the flower and he replied that it was tumbleweed, a very invasive plant that was brought into our country on either Russian rye seeds or flax seeds by Ukrainian farmers. I'm sure that expert and his cohorts had a fine chuckle that day. Heck, I bet they still occasionally bring it up. "Remember that lady who.... Ha! Ha! Ha!"

I know what you're thinking. Tumbleweeds. Romance. The Wild West, Ghost Towns, "Get Along Little Doggie", Shoot-Outs in front of saloons. All very exciting. Why do I not see it that way? I will say more in my next blog!