Weekly update: Another major wind storm on Wednesday dumped more tumbleweeds in places I had just cleared from the storm of April 4. This time, more Russian thistles were caught in shrubs and along the east or southeast side of the property. One time when I looked out, I saw dust and thistles rolling through my southwest neighbor’s yard. The winds shifted, and the thistles hopped the fence and headed toward me.
Later, winds came from the northeast and blew the ones I hadn’t removed into new places. There were times when I could only remove the ones behind the house because the winds were blowing toward me. Any I removed toward the northeast front side of my land would have blown back into the driveway.
Each storm is worse, because the thistles get moved, stopped, and then moved again. I counted 1,840 from the February wind, and 3,286 from the early April one. My total of thistles removed so far this year is 7,186, and I haven’t started clearing the fences. It’s later in the season and my first priority has been keeping the beds clear that I water.
The air has been dryer than earlier, and the carcasses are more likely to drop small pieces that will produce seedlings when the parents have been removed. Seeds already are sprouting in the dry sand along the fence across from that neighbor.
I think the increasing fragility of the tumbleweeds has created another problem. When I go out, I wear a heavy sweatshirt, thick sweatpants, and rubber boots. I add rubble gloves for the stickers and a paper mask to keep dust out of my lungs. My glasses usually keep it out of my eyes.
However, the past few days the areas around my eyes have been itching, and nothing seems to have helped. Washing the area with water or alcohol did nothing. Various salves didn’t help.
Russian thistles contain noxious chemicals related to sodium carbonates. I’m thinking these have been released into the air when the carcasses break up, and land on my skin. The wind imprints them into the surface of the skin.
This isn’t a single weather event that makes the news. Southern tornadoes, which follow our high wind periods, rightly get more attention.
However, peoples’ reactions to their own situations are more important than the number of disasters recorded by the weather bureau. In a recent poll, 79% said they had personally been affected by what is euphemistically called extreme weather in the past five years. 55% cited hot weather, 45% cold weather and bad storms, and 30% drought and water shortages. The headline catching hurricanes and fires were down the list.
This problem with Russian thistles began with recent droughts that suppressed native vegetation that let invaders like the member of the Chenopodium family get started. Over a few seasons, individuals cut them down, and let them blow where they seeded new areas.
Last year we had one serious wind storm, and another smaller one later. They planted more seeds, and this year we not only have had more wind storms, but more plants have been available to blow around. Most get stopped by barriers, but it takes one a few gusts to lift them free and over fences.
There are things that are more important tasks in the spring than removing tumbleweed carcasses, but a definition of a crisis is something that forces one to stop doing what is critical to deal with something worse.
Before the storm, I was able to spend a little time siting some of the 3"x3" post I’m laying in front of my east fence to prevent flooding. I even had time to tie some of the loose boards in the fence.
Yesterday morning I had all the beds cleared, and was able to spend a little time planting the bare-root trees that arrived in the mail the day before the storm. They spent the week in my bathtub, with water dumped into their plastic bag.
In the afternoon, a wind blew down one section of the fence, and all I could do was get it to lay flat in my east neighbor’s yard so it wouldn’t destroy the plants in front of it. This morning, instead of working on the posts or removing tumbleweeds from my backyard, I struggled to get the fence section propped back in place.
I know from the past few weeks how many hours I will have to spend removing the remaining tumbleweeds, but I may be able to pace myself until it becomes clear real rain may arrive and encourage some of the seeds.
But I know that part of every day this year will be spent dealing with acts of God abetted by my neighbors near and far: picking dandelion flowers, watching for Siberian elm seedlings, and dealing with Russian thistles.
Weather: The first fire weather watch of the season was on Wednesday, before hurricane season officially opens. These have replace spring with its tornado season.
Last token snow: 3/21/23. Week’s low: 28 degrees F. Week’s high: 78 degrees F in the shade. Winds were up to 47 mph in Los Alamos and 51 mph in Santa Fé at the time I was watching tumbleweeds roll in my neighbor’s yard on Wednesday.
What’s blooming in the area: Bradford and fruiting pears, sweet cherries, purple leaf plums, flowering quince, Siberian elms, forsythia, red tulips, daffodils, moss phlox, donkey tail spurge
What’s emerging: Apples leafing; purple salvia and pampas grass emerging
What’s blooming beyond the walls and fences: Purple and tansy mustards, white tufted evening primroses, alfilerillo, western stickseed, bractless cryptantha, dandelions
What’s emerging: Sandbar willow, fern leaf and leather leaf globe mallows, Russian thistles
What’s blooming in my yard: Sour cherry, sandcherry, purple leaf sand cherry, stars of Bethlehem, vinca
What’s emerging: Peaches, Bradford pear, sweet cherries, cottonwoods, beauty bush, forsythia, and snowball are leafing; Asiatic lilies, Bath pinks, baptisia, sea lavender, wintered over snapdragons, and larkspur from seeds are coming up
Animal sightings: Rabbit, western chickadees, geckoes, cabbage and black swallowtail butterflies, small bees on sandcherry, hornets, sidewalk and harvester ants; hear quail
Notes on photographs: All taken 23 April 2023
1. Vinca (Vinca minor)
2. Tufted white evening primrose blooming on the other side of my fence (Oenothera caespitosa)
3. Purple leaf sandcherry blossom that has been battered by the wind (Prunus cistena)
End notes: AP-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research. “Attitudes Toward Climate Change Continue To Be Divisive.” Its website, 22 April 2023.
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