Puncturevine Harvest
Note: If you live in northern states of the US, MT to ME, you probably don't encounter these vines very often. In summary, these vines grow next to pavement and produce seeds which puncture thin-walled pneumatic tires, like bicycle tires. The sharp seeds can also be painful for barefootin', the way most canines prefer to travel. Thick automobile tires are resistant to punctures, but are really good at distributing the seeds.Step 1: Experience a puncture flat, be annoyed, motivate
Step 2: Know your enemy
Above: The irresponsible parent of an old hardened seed that is stuck in the hard skin on my knuckle.
Below: Note young, green seeds concealed on the underside of the vine (the bright green pointy clusters).
Step 3: Protect yourself, I shield my inner tubes with Tuffy strips.
Step 4: Survey your hood, be the puncturevine, know where they hide. Think of the most wretched places that a sensible plant would never think of growing, in the shady alleyways between normal soil and hard road surface.
Step 5: Be patient, croutch like the Cougar, wait for the growing season, when the grasses are high. Locate the petite and innocent looking yellow blossoms.
Step 6: When the picking is ripe, the seeds still attached to vines strike. Show no mercy, ride into battle, ATTACK! I found that a blunt object for prying out the roots was helpful.
Step 7: Find a landfill bound receptacle and deposit the vines and seeds. This plant is far from endangered, you won't kill them without chemicals and/or fire, and you probably don't want this evil seed in your compost.
The battle on the sidewalk of Niwot High (home of the Cougars) was a small success, but the war is not over. 80% of the plants ahead of this bicycle are insurgent goathead guerrilas. Is it any wonder that uncool students who can't drive German sportscars don't pedal bikes to school? During this brief battle I observed 4 road cyclists ride the shoulder of the road, just a few feet from this puncturevine grove. I'm fairly certain they had no idea what I was up to. A windy day this fall could broadcast hardened, dead seeds all over the shoulder of that road. The seeds will undoubetly leave a sweaty cyclist exposed to the elements, while they repair the deflation inflicted by this poorly understood and identified vine.
It occured to me that I may be promoting the broadcast of hardened dead seeds by removing the wind blocking foliage covering the dead seeds on the ground. In the windy months of winter and early spring the lush foliage will be minimal and the plant may appear dormant and minimally wind-blocking anyways. Removing green seeds now will reduce the number of new vines and the production of more puncture ready seeds next year.
