Reason #21 to wear shoes in West Texas
The snakes may be hibernating, but that's no reason to dispense with shoes for a walk through our neighborhood:
These are the remains of a Buffalo Bur (Solanum rostratum), one of multitude that took root during the summer and that from a distance added a nice bit of yellow color to the landscape. But that yellow is hardly mellow, and doesn't mask the treachery of nasty thorns and spiny seed pods (here's what it looks like in bloom; I chose a Connecticut website to illustrate the wide range of this herbal vermin).
To add injury to insult, those carcasses hitch rides on blowing tumbleweeds, making an already unpleasant cleanup chore downright painful.
Bingo! Purple nightshade is the most common variety in these parts, but I'd never encountered this species until we moved to the new neighborhood. They're just nasty.
Posted by: Eric at November 25, 2008 04:41 PMNasty is right. But they contribute to the economy by keeping the bicycle shops in business :)
Posted by: Deborah at November 25, 2008 06:35 PMOh, how sadly prophetic is your comment, Deborah!
At the end of my afternoon bike ride, as I turned into the alley leading to the garage, my back tire slipped on the pavement ever so slightly. "What's up with that?" I thought, deciding that I'd hit stray piece of gravel. But as I wheeled the bike into the garage, I noticed the rear tire getting soft. I spun the wheel a half-turn, revealing a plain vanilla goathead sticking in the sidewall. I pulled it out and heard the expected hiss of the remaining air escaping. Not a nightshade, but effective nonetheless.
Posted by: Eric at November 25, 2008 06:45 PMHmmm...could you repurpose those spines to hold up your Christmas lights?
Posted by: beth at November 25, 2008 08:04 PMSo my lovely bride asks me to retrieve a potted bogenvilia before the freeze got it, MUCH to my surprise the thing "bit me" ... I became fully aware that bogenvilia has thorns, something I had not noticed in the past but I'll watch for.
Posted by: Bleu at November 25, 2008 08:59 PMBeth, they're probably more appropriate for Easter, if you get my drift. ;-)
Bleu, you haven't been around them much, have you? They put mesquite to shame!
Posted by: Eric at November 25, 2008 09:08 PMThat's one wicked looking piece of salad there Eric! I don't envy you having those for neighbors. We have a hazard to hiking here in the Rocky Mountains that, while not exactly falling into the same generic category, (or kingdom for that matter), looks to pose a roughly similiar degree of potential discomfort. They're called mountain lions.
Posted by: Marshall at November 26, 2008 08:38 PMMountain lions? Really? I had no idea.
Posted by: Eric at November 27, 2008 10:20 AMI'm glad that we don't have those! Knowing my luck, I'd embarrassing accident that would really hurt!
Posted by: Rachel at November 29, 2008 02:19 AMAbout the publisher
Random Abbye photos...
Angry Clouds
I am Curious Llama
Ganglia & Brain Cloud
Cabeza del Diablo
Aurora Moreorless
Be careful Who you plagiarize
Coming Attractions
All Thorns, All the Time
Hitchin' a Ride
"...the flower fades..."
Finding meaning in random events
Random Thursday: The Thanksgiving Edition
A Matter of Perception
Reason #21 to wear shoes in West Texas
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[Midland unless otherwise indicated]
Other Texas Blogs:
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I should have guess that it would be a member of the dreaded nightshade family.
Posted by: Lynellen at November 25, 2008 04:19 PM