This is the monster weed that I've been painfully pulling out of my yard over the past five or so years. I say painfully, because these weeds have very prickly points all over them, including on the stem.
This year I suspected that perhaps they had an underground network of roots or something and I think I'm right. From the snippets I've read about this thing on the Internet today, I picked up words like "invasive species" and "noxius weeds" and "infestation."
In an article posted by the Noxious Weed Control Board (who knew there was such an organization?) it says this: "Scotch thistle can spread rapidly. For example, it was first found in Utah in 1963. By 1981, it covered approximately 6070 hectares in 17 counties. Eight years later, it had spread to cover more than 22,540 hectares in 22 counties (Dewey 1991)."
Can you believe that a plant growing only in Utah years ago is now in my yard? CRAZY! Well, since I know this now, I will just plan to keep pulling them up before they seed and spread more. At least I will know I did my part.
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