Tonight I intend to write about a prickly subject. It is not about too much rain or data centers or solar facilities. I would also like to ask a serious question about your health; when was the last time you had a stress test?
The Canadian thistle has been a longtime nemesis for farmers and gardeners. I believe most farmers like me have been able to control it easily with the use of herbicides in our row crop fields. It is a deep-rooted perennial that can spread through the root shoots or the seeds that blow in the wind. Thistle is listed as a noxious weed in Illinois.
I recently read that since the thistle is a strong carbon fixing plant it is thriving in our changing environment. I always knew that there were several different species but never studied their differences. The bull and musk thistle that are much larger and produce big, beautiful flowers are biennials unlike the perennial Canadian thistle.
I have been told stories from farmers that fought this nemesis over 75 years ago. My old farmer friend Bill told me about how the thistle commissioner would park his vehicle on a hill and use binoculars to scour the area to look for thistle seeds blowing in the wind. He would then track down the field and fine the owner. I have also been told that the township commissioner has the power to fine those who let thistles grow and go to seed on their property as well. I wonder if this is true, and if so, when was the last time this happened?
The thistle has sharp, barb-like thorns. I have been poked many times by the plant while baling hay and straw or pulling the plant in the flower beds. Repeated mowing that prevents the plant from going to seed can weaken it significantly. There are many non-crop areas in Will County where it grows unabated, thus guaranteeing it and its offspring will return the next year. This year my early hay harvest and a diligent regiment of spot spraying un-mowed areas has almost brought this unwanted plant closer to extinction.
Which brings me to my recent adventure that I believe replaces the need for a stress test at the cardiologist office. I was using a hand sprayer on random thistles in the tall natural areas around some outbuildings when a mallard hen flushed out of the grass and flew in front of my face. It was quite sudden and unexpected and just in the nick of time to keep me from stepping on her nest of eggs. I believed, perhaps incorrectly though, that since I survived that scare it proves my ticker is in good shape.
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