Solanum Rostratum, Buffalobur

Day 315: As I look out my east window, the ground beneath one of the bird feeders is occluded by some tall yellow snapdragons which have bent over under the weight of their blossoms. I had not noticed that they were concealing a threat. Standing there somewhat in the manner of Arthur Dent on the day the Vogon Destructor Fleet arrived, "Yellow," I thought. The word 'yellow' wandered through my mind in search of something to connect with. Fifteen seconds later I was out of the house and lying in front of a big yellow Buffalobur that was advancing up my garden path.

Those of you who are familiar with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy will no doubt recognize that I purloined the last three sentences of that paragraph from Douglas Adams' writing and adapted them to my own purposes, but they are nonetheless an accurate representation of what occurred. Solanum rostratum (Buffalobur or Horned Buffalobur) is a highly invasive weed which is often spread in contaminated bird seed. It is poisonous to livestock and humans. In areas where it is not controlled adequately, mature plants may turn into "tumbleweeds" to be blown across open fields, spreading their seeds as they roll along. A single plant can produce hundreds of seeds which remain viable for up to ten years. If infestations can be caught early, plants can be dug out and bagged for disposal. In this case, a few minutes after initial observation, the offender was safely tucked away in my plant press, another specimen which will eventually be sent to the Burke Herbarium.