The War Against Tumbleweeds

In the nineteenth century invaders from Russia took over vast swaths of the nation, threatening America’s very way of life in what has been described as one of the most rapid invasions in history. The invasion, and century and a half long war against Salsola Icali tragus, better known as “Russian thistle,” and even better known as the “Tumbleweed,” deserves to be remembered.
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Script by THG
#history #thehistoryguy #weeds

Пікірлер: 589

  • @jamesdaubenspeck5683
    @jamesdaubenspeck568318 күн бұрын

    I am a 63 year old biologist. And I did not know the tumbleweed was an invasive species. Thanks for the fun lesson.

  • @nancyk3615

    @nancyk3615

    18 күн бұрын

    I fed a round bale of kosha to my horses and they ate it and left no crumbs...

  • @alidaweber1023

    @alidaweber1023

    18 күн бұрын

    Biologist might not have known that the weed wasn't indigenous to North America. ​@Iwishiwasanoscarmeyerweiner

  • @djquinn11

    @djquinn11

    18 күн бұрын

    @@nancyk3615: I fed a square bale of hay to my horse and he left some round patties.

  • @tygrkhat4087

    @tygrkhat4087

    18 күн бұрын

    @@Iwishiwasanoscarmeyerweiner Biologist, not botanist.

  • @timmorris8932

    @timmorris8932

    18 күн бұрын

    I am a 56-year-old biologist and I find myself in the same pressed flower book. 😊

  • @stevenslater2669
    @stevenslater266917 күн бұрын

    Biggest surprise to me was how much water the tumbleweeds deprive “cash crops” of. I’m almost 82 and still consider any day I learn something new a good day. Every time I tune in to The History Guy, I learn something I didn’t know before! Thanks History Guy!

  • @gumpyoldbugger6944

    @gumpyoldbugger6944

    15 күн бұрын

    The day you stop learning is that the day you stopped living, but it may take your body a few years/decades to realize that fact and catch up with you. 63 here and just learned that Tumble Weeds are not a native species to North America and that Cottonwood Trees aka Poplars are actual a native species to my Province, though I was told otherwise decades ago.

  • @blessedveteran

    @blessedveteran

    14 күн бұрын

    🤗💜🤗

  • @truthsRsung

    @truthsRsung

    14 күн бұрын

    They don't bother to mention how much their plants consume in comparison, do they. But our Bow Tie here just told you that the Species Survived the Dust Bowl, the single largest mismanagement of airable land in History. So it MUST consume LESS water than ALL "Cash Crops." This is what happens when you don't put 2 and 2 together, you stay 2.

  • @blessedveteran

    @blessedveteran

    14 күн бұрын

    @truthsRsung what a dick comment. Go troll elsewhere, dude 👍

  • @gumpyoldbugger6944

    @gumpyoldbugger6944

    13 күн бұрын

    @@truthsRsung Or it is better at accessing said water resources and maximizing its consumption of said resource. It could also be better adapted at withstanding drought conditions and their seeds could have to the ability to lay dormant for a longer period, allowing them to germinate once rain returns. But you are correct, much of the so-called staple crops we grow on a rather industrial scale do demand an incredible amount of water, which is why many part of the US grain belt and southern produce producing areas have been water stressed for a long time now.

  • @AlexG-rc3oq
    @AlexG-rc3oq17 күн бұрын

    I grew up in Arizona and these things can be a real annoyance. Seen literally a hundred miles of 12 ft high walls of tumbleweeds stuck to the fences crossing the reservation. Some of them can be 6 ft around and weigh quite a lot if dried mud is stuck to them. Hitting them at high speed, as they often just blow across the road from nowhere and very difficult to avoid, can break your lights, even crack a radiator. Or worse, go under the vehicle to get stuck on your exhaust just to be a serious fire risk. But I too did not realize they weren't native, learned something today, thanks.

  • @QuantumRift

    @QuantumRift

    15 күн бұрын

    Lived in Sierra Vista, AZ for nearly 25 years - and I've hit my share of them blowing across the road...loved having them EXPLODE when I hit them on I-10.

  • @karentrimmer

    @karentrimmer

    15 күн бұрын

    I've had the same experience in New Mexico.

  • @brianSalem541

    @brianSalem541

    13 күн бұрын

    I grew up just north of Los Angeles. Tumbleweeds were a huge problem especially in the Santa Ana winds.

  • @susanbaker8023

    @susanbaker8023

    12 күн бұрын

    I grew up in Arizona as well. I purchased a home on two acres full of tumble weed. What a pain to be rid of. I too, didn't know they weren't native. Thanks

  • @josephpostma1787

    @josephpostma1787

    4 күн бұрын

    Do y'all burn the fencelines covered in the tumbles?

  • @flagmichael
    @flagmichael17 күн бұрын

    The lot of our first home in Phoenix was newly claimed from the desert when we moved in. Come Spring I was delighted to see our 5000 square foot back yard covered with green. You guessed it: it was all tumbleweeds! Through the Spring it matured into a jungle three feet high. In Summer it turned into tinder. I brought out a cheap charcoal grill and lit a small fire. With a rake, I snapped the evil plants at ground level and rolled them into the flames; a tumbleweed was gone in perhaps three seconds. When the yard was cleared, the detritus measured less than a cupful.

  • @toughenupfluffy7294
    @toughenupfluffy729417 күн бұрын

    When I was 13 in 1974, me and a couple of friends thought we'd do the community we lived in a great service and collect all the tumbleweeds in the neighborhood, piling them up in a vacant lot, three stories high. We were so proud of our feat that we called the local newspaper to come and record the fact, but they declined. The next day a big wind storm blew up and all of our tumbleweeds were scattered into nearby lawns and driveways. That's when the local news got interested, running a story about how three local boys caused havoc in the hood. Lol.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    The Outer Limits episode "Cry of Silence" involving animate, killer tumbleweeds featured an actress named June *Havoc*, as well as Eddie Albert who went on to the " Green Acres" TV series.

  • @colleencrouch4346
    @colleencrouch434617 күн бұрын

    In Fresno, California, where snow is a rare occurrence, tumbleweeds are stacked, flocked & decorated as faux snowmen

  • @HollyMoore-wo2mh

    @HollyMoore-wo2mh

    16 күн бұрын

    😂😂 cute.

  • @robertmclean9737

    @robertmclean9737

    15 күн бұрын

    I have made nice Christmas trees by stacking them on top of each other graduated of course, then flocking them.

  • @Rocketsong

    @Rocketsong

    9 күн бұрын

    They do that in Chandler AZ as well.

  • @oldgysgt
    @oldgysgt18 күн бұрын

    In past years in Cummings Valley California, camels were used to clear fields of tumbleweeds. Apparently camels love them, green or dried.

  • @v.e.7236
    @v.e.723617 күн бұрын

    Your knack for finding historical irony is superlative! A Russian weed symbolizing the American spirit.

  • @thomasgarrison3949
    @thomasgarrison394918 күн бұрын

    Wow, I am 68 years young, I always thought the Tumbleweed was a Western USA plant, because of the 1960's & 70's TV Westerns & the song by the Sons of the Pioneers - Tumbling Tumbleweeds. Thanks for the History Lesson.

  • @LuckyBaldwin777

    @LuckyBaldwin777

    18 күн бұрын

    "68 years young" Why do you say that? Are you afraid of getting old?

  • @markpaul-ym5wg

    @markpaul-ym5wg

    18 күн бұрын

    I thought that to.

  • @thomasgarrison3949

    @thomasgarrison3949

    18 күн бұрын

    @@LuckyBaldwin777 No, I'm not old, I still ride a Touring Motorcycle & most of my family lived into there 90's & even into their 100's.

  • @johnrudy9404

    @johnrudy9404

    17 күн бұрын

    Really? 68 years Young? ....I'm 63 years OLD. No shame here.

  • @flagmichael

    @flagmichael

    17 күн бұрын

    We do have lots of them. They are crazy in Idaho.

  • @robertweldon7909
    @robertweldon790918 күн бұрын

    You can always rely upon "The History Guy" to have a curious and interesting history lesson. Sometimes, like in this case, we learn about something we generally ignore. Tumble weeds, who would have thought they were really so bad? Now, if we were talking about Kudzu. Some once told me that "Kudzu was the only plant that you could take out 50 yards from the house, plant it in the ground, and it would beat you back to the house". He wasn't off by much.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    Bamboo doesn't grow quite as fast as kudzu (or if it does, it grows vertically instead of horizontally) but it's equally difficult to get rid of.

  • @glenns5627

    @glenns5627

    17 күн бұрын

    Paper Mulberry. A tree, with runners, that can outrun a man. The only way I've found to get rid of them - ALONG WITH the physical yanking and pulling - is concentrated Roundup, painted to the freshly cut trunk, 1" above the ground, and even the dead trunk won't go away until you dig it out.

  • @HollyMoore-wo2mh

    @HollyMoore-wo2mh

    16 күн бұрын

    😂😂 We joked once that kudzu could be sent over to the Middle East and they would never see them again.

  • @thomassnell5384
    @thomassnell538418 күн бұрын

    An old TV show called "The Outer Limits" had an episode called "A Cry of Silence" with killer tumbleweeds.

  • @orbyfan

    @orbyfan

    17 күн бұрын

    It aired on October 24, 1964, and starred Eddie Albert and June Havoc.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    ​@@orbyfan, the entire episode can be viewed on KZread

  • @valoriesmith8875
    @valoriesmith887517 күн бұрын

    As a child of the 50's, we played in tumbleweed "forts". One year our Christmas tree was tumbleweeds stacked on one another. Along with music from the Sons of the Pioneers, it all makes for good memories.

  • @nancybode6159
    @nancybode615918 күн бұрын

    When it's moving it's a RUSHIN' weed!!

  • @juliao1255

    @juliao1255

    18 күн бұрын

    🤣🤣🤣

  • @timmorris8932

    @timmorris8932

    18 күн бұрын

    You sir have won the comment section today.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    "Rushin' hands and roamin' *stingers* "! (For those younger than myself who might not get the reference, it was once said that a guy who would get unwantedly grabby with his date had "Russian hands and Roman fingers".)

  • @DRAGONSLAYER1220

    @DRAGONSLAYER1220

    17 күн бұрын

    *groan*

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    At 9:30 , an epistle about a thistle! Had it been transmitted by email, it'd be an e-thistle! 😁

  • @trumpetmom8924
    @trumpetmom892418 күн бұрын

    I have to wonder if tumbleweeds’ large water consumption didn’t/doesn’t also add to the dust bowl/drought problem in the midwest and west.

  • @truthsRsung

    @truthsRsung

    14 күн бұрын

    Is the consumption Large? What info were you given in comparison? At 15:40 he quoted evidence that the plant was able to grow unsupervised, while enduring cattle grazing, with little rainfall. I'd bet that places where this plant had rooted have More Topsoil than where humans had managed their land with Pure Force. Harmony and Eradication don't belong in any Government Document, ever.

  • @ernestsmith3581

    @ernestsmith3581

    14 күн бұрын

    They bring water to the surface and provide shade. I would say their damage as a growing plant is countered by their benefits. But, of course, like feral horses, they consume resources that would otherwise be used by rarer and rarer native species.

  • @GeographRick
    @GeographRick18 күн бұрын

    I remember learning the tumbleweed was an invasive plant from Russia. I was surprised since so much imagery shows tumbleweeds are an iconic symbol of the west.

  • @Seeker0fTruth

    @Seeker0fTruth

    18 күн бұрын

    Yuri Bezminov knew that there would be enough “useful idiots” to rewrite history…to the point our society willingly (even exuberantly) incorporating the these hijackers into the very iconography of our nation! It’s easy to become discouraged when you see such things unfold…but do not loose heart! Not everything is as it appears! Truly…I believe…LOVE conquers ALL. The hidden hand may have a strategy that spans generations, but the ultimate power over ALL things transcends time itself…even created it! Do that which you know is within your ability to do, and leave the rest for those warring/sparring/dueling/“authorities” to work out. Brothers and sisters, we are. Bonded together in perfect love, who can stand against us? No not one. Shall we? Let’s! 🤍⚖️💎🪔⚓️⚔️🛡️🧬📯🔗🌀🔔🏳️⌛️🦯🪘♟️🪈🏆🎟️🪃🍷🍯🍼🥚🌊💨🌪️🌈🌕☀️💫⚡️🌱🐉🪶🕊️🦋🦅🪖🪢🪡🫀🧠🫡

  • @RemyJackson

    @RemyJackson

    18 күн бұрын

    "Commieweeds" lol But it is interesting you hardly see a western or movie set during the Dustbowl without tumbleweeds.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    @@RemyJackson , There was an episode of the Outer Limits where a husband (played by Eddy Arnold) and wife took refuge in an old shack after their car broke down out west somewhere. An alien presence half buried the shack in tumbleweeds so they couldn't escape and tried to communicate with them, first using croaking frogs and then telepathically.

  • @skyden24195
    @skyden2419517 күн бұрын

    Hollywood would never be the same once the first tumbleweeds rolled onto the set. While driving on Interstate 215 in California during a very windy day, I collided with a rolling tumbleweed that was bigger than the Honda Civic that I was in. The explosion was fantastic!

  • @floycewhite6991

    @floycewhite6991

    17 күн бұрын

    During one particularly windy December day around 1999, tumbleweeds and everything else were gusting across the Ventura Freeway.

  • @adreabrooks11

    @adreabrooks11

    17 күн бұрын

    Canadian here. I've occasionally wondered how much of a road hazard tumbleweeds pose. I always imagined them to be more "twiggy" than "grassy," and thought they might do damage if struck at high speed. From you comment, do you mean that they simply blow apart when you hit them?

  • @skyden24195

    @skyden24195

    16 күн бұрын

    @@adreabrooks11 yes they do just blow apart, (for the most part, some smaller pieces might still cling together stuck to the vehicle on mirrors or windshield wipers.) They're very fragile. Also, they can (and did) leave multiple superficial scratches in the paint. So, generally speaking, if driving at high speeds down a highway (or somewhere like that) it's safer to just plow through them than to hit the brakes or swerve which could cause multiple vehicles to collide with each other; a much more dangerous situation.

  • @adreabrooks11

    @adreabrooks11

    16 күн бұрын

    @@skyden24195 The more you know! Thanks for the info; it may come in handy, if I'm ever out west. :)

  • @thomasott5899
    @thomasott589918 күн бұрын

    I remember burning the tumbleweeds along fences. Some farmers had special wagons with a burner they would pull behind a tractor and burn the weeds on the move. This probably accelerated the move to metal fence posts.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    I would guess that this tactic probably had the unwanted side effect of causing the barbed wire to start rusting sooner and more intensely.

  • @curtisstewart3179

    @curtisstewart3179

    17 күн бұрын

    ​@@goodun2974 barb wire is made from high tensile cold drawn wire. When it gets heated, it will sag.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    @@curtisstewart3179 , sagging from heat is an excellent point; I hadn't considered that. And, fire will accelerate rusting. I wouldn't think burning tumbleweeds along a barbed wire fence, even if the posts are metal, to be a good tactic unless you're prepared to replace a lot of wire prematurely.

  • @rickrudd
    @rickrudd18 күн бұрын

    This was a good one. Seriously. I wasn't sure what to expect when I saw the episode was about tumbleweeds, but you nailed it. I knew nothing about tumbleweeds and you somehow made it a fascinating history/bio lesson.

  • @kariknight6287
    @kariknight628718 күн бұрын

    Hey from Missouri. Learn something new everyday.

  • @TheTropicaltreasure
    @TheTropicaltreasure18 күн бұрын

    Played this video for my kids on the way to school. They'll be talking about tumbleweeds all day.

  • @constipatedinsincity4424
    @constipatedinsincity442418 күн бұрын

    I have seen tumble weeds that were as big as a school bus. It's been a while living here in Las Vegas as of late they won't be any larger than a Mail truck.

  • @PlanetEarth3141

    @PlanetEarth3141

    17 күн бұрын

    You're exaggerating and I've seen them for a lifetime. It's the kind of false fact that claims your 'expertise' and egotistical nature. Puffs you ego and then gets spread around by others as fact. This size never happens for a solid reason but you can't explain why Mr. False. Go back in your hole.

  • @milosterwheeler2520
    @milosterwheeler252018 күн бұрын

    I live in Southern California. In the 1950's tumbleweeds would blow down our street and pile up against fences and the newly-built 5 Freeway. Beginning in September, the yearly Santa Ana winds would create small dust devils and send tumbleweeds and fluff from Pampas Grass (another invasive species) swirling around everywhere. The tumbleweeds would blow across our school yard and collect against the far fence. The school would have huge bonfires to get rid of all their carcasses. Late November, some people would use them as lawn ornaments. They would stack three of them and paint them white - snowmen for a snowless landscape. The "Outer Limits" TV series demonized them in its episode "Cry of Silence". But to me as a small child, when Western series ruled television, I thought they were magical.

  • @socalgal714

    @socalgal714

    18 күн бұрын

    Yup! I too have similar memories. 😊 Back when there were actual open spaces not curated by man to play in.

  • @carenmontgomery2384

    @carenmontgomery2384

    17 күн бұрын

    Me, too! l live in San Diego and am retired. Long ago when l attended Spring Valley Jr. high. We lived in Casa de Oro when it was a newly built area. No houses at the end of our street but lots of tumble weeds! l remember being told that they could be eaten when very small. Wow------ memories...

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    Is that the Outer Limits episode where a husband (played by Eddie Albert) and his wife have a car breakdown and are trapped in an abandoned shack by an alien presence which surrounds them with tumbleweeds and thousands of croaking frogs?

  • @milosterwheeler2520

    @milosterwheeler2520

    17 күн бұрын

    @@goodun2974 Yes.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    @@milosterwheeler2520 , I'll have to see if it's on KZread somewhere. I miss Outer Limits, and the original Twilight Zone. Night Gallery had its moments as well.....

  • @cybersandoval
    @cybersandoval17 күн бұрын

    non sequitur: an actual, well written script with human voice, the information is a bonus

  • @constipatedinsincity4424
    @constipatedinsincity442418 күн бұрын

    I remember the good old days when the only thing that hops the rails 🚈 were Hobos! Box Car Willie!

  • @bartsanders1553

    @bartsanders1553

    18 күн бұрын

    Be on the lookout for Kitchener Leslie. He's been known to kill hobos with his bare hands.

  • @tomarmadiyer2698

    @tomarmadiyer2698

    18 күн бұрын

    Rip shoestring

  • @constipatedinsincity4424

    @constipatedinsincity4424

    17 күн бұрын

    @@bartsanders1553 Zoinks Scoob

  • @constipatedinsincity4424

    @constipatedinsincity4424

    17 күн бұрын

    @@tomarmadiyer2698 💯

  • @MichaelRainey
    @MichaelRainey15 күн бұрын

    I was driving through Benson when a tumbleweed crossed the highway. It bounced off the truck in front of me and came down on my windshield.

  • @laserbeam002
    @laserbeam00218 күн бұрын

    Honestly this is the first time I ever heard the tumbleweed is an invasive species from Russia. I would bet probably 90% of the U.S does not know this. Thank you for posting.

  • @user-uk3nx8cn4u

    @user-uk3nx8cn4u

    9 күн бұрын

    Antony Blinkin came from Russia, name a few of his kind with their diverse public so called political affiliation

  • @laserbeam002

    @laserbeam002

    9 күн бұрын

    @@user-uk3nx8cn4u What does Anthony Blinkin have to do with the plant called 'Tumbleweed'????????????????????

  • @user-uk3nx8cn4u

    @user-uk3nx8cn4u

    9 күн бұрын

    @@laserbeam002 his gradparent came from russia, at least on of them

  • @laserbeam002

    @laserbeam002

    9 күн бұрын

    @@user-uk3nx8cn4u Ok..whatever but the video was about Tumbleweeds

  • @saintpaulsnail
    @saintpaulsnail18 күн бұрын

    I remember times when strong westerly winds blew tumbleweeds into Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Twin Cities were at the eastern edge of the prairies. The tumbleweeds would just get pushed east if the winds were blowing strongly over the western plains.

  • @Tauridballistics
    @Tauridballistics18 күн бұрын

    I live in Central Washington and I battle tumbleweeds constantly 🤣

  • @tommycolton4971
    @tommycolton497118 күн бұрын

    Here in Southern arizona we have a saying " at a four way stop the tumbleweed has the right of way"

  • @JeffBilkins
    @JeffBilkins18 күн бұрын

    They look very flammable and a potential nightmare during brush fires in windy conditions.

  • @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    @TheHistoryGuyChannel

    18 күн бұрын

    They are. Contributing to brush fires is one of the largest hazards of the weed.

  • @BuzzinVideography

    @BuzzinVideography

    18 күн бұрын

    They are... look at my PFP. That fire burnt 1/8 of Washington state, and dwarfed any California fire you've ever seen. Because of the tumble weed

  • @TimHayward

    @TimHayward

    18 күн бұрын

    Seems like they would make great pellets for pellet stoves

  • @flagmichael

    @flagmichael

    17 күн бұрын

    @@TimHayward They probably would. Very little smoke or ash.

  • @user-oh2hs6jh5x
    @user-oh2hs6jh5x18 күн бұрын

    In December of 2009 we were traveling on Interstate 40 near Santa Rosa, New Mexico. It was a windy day, and from out of the south came a herd of Salsola Icali tragus, attacking my car and all of the other cars near me. When we arrived at our destination I took a look at the front of the car and saw that several of their species had attached themselves to every nook and cranny of my car. At least I had the satisfaction of knowing that the ones that I crushed wouldn't torment any others.

  • @highpath4776

    @highpath4776

    17 күн бұрын

    young shoots are edible, apparently , maybe get goats to eat them - but watch they dont spread seeds in manure

  • @siseley1

    @siseley1

    8 күн бұрын

    @@highpath4776 Our Burro's will eat them when they are green and young, but once they dry....forget it !!

  • @joanhoffman3702
    @joanhoffman370217 күн бұрын

    Last year, my sister and I were returning to the house after an errand. We were waiting to make a left turn at a traffic light, when, from our right, there were a few tumbleweeds rolling down the middle of the street. We’re not exactly on the edge of town, so those bushes maybe travelled for several miles. We pulled into a nearby parking lot and my sister started taking photos of them. It was our first sighting of tumbleweeds in the wild. It may not seem like much, but for two women who grew up in Queens, NY, now living in Tucson, AZ, it was something to see!

  • @HollyMoore-wo2mh

    @HollyMoore-wo2mh

    16 күн бұрын

    I would have stopped myself. I live near the DFW in North Texas area and have never seen an in-the-wild tumbleweed BUT I have seen a coyote and a roadrunner ... just not chasing each other.

  • @jrh7647
    @jrh764718 күн бұрын

    Tumble weeds burn like a gas torch, when dry. To safely burn tumblweeds, turn them bottom side up. The hollow stem structure form a natual chimney. Turning the weed upside down defeats the chimney effect.

  • @oldgysgt

    @oldgysgt

    18 күн бұрын

    Two problems with burning tumbleweeds; with large piles, the fire can easily get out of hand and create a "wild fire", and at least in California, in most areas it's illegal to burn off weeds and dead grass of any kind because of air pollution concerns. Anyone caught doing so can be fined a hefty amount, and they are financially liable for the cost of extinguishing a wild fire started by their tumbleweed burning, as well for any and all property damage resulting from the fire.

  • @flagmichael

    @flagmichael

    17 күн бұрын

    @@oldgysgt Break them off from the ground first. I had great success with a rake and charcoal grill. A windless day is a must, but with that caveat the fire is easily controlled.

  • @bobhoffer5426

    @bobhoffer5426

    17 күн бұрын

    wait a minute....isn't "bottom side up" and "upside down" the same thing? 🙃

  • @arrahslichenmyer4986

    @arrahslichenmyer4986

    15 күн бұрын

    Thank you very much!!😊

  • @oldgysgt

    @oldgysgt

    14 күн бұрын

    @@flagmichael; in the past, California has suffered some very destructive wild fires caused by people who thought they could "control" their burn. But now, with the severe restrictions on open burning in California, burning tumbling weeds, or any other plant pest, is liable to result in a large fine. I'm not defending these restrictions, but that is the present state of affairs in California. Last winter I was forbidden to use my home fireplace to help heat my house because my fireplace insert is no longer on the list of State approved inserts. I could have done it anyway, but if someone had complained I could have been fined big-time by the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution District. You can imagine what they would say about open burning a large pile of tumbleweeds.

  • @Semper_Iratus
    @Semper_Iratus18 күн бұрын

    The troubles with tumbles.

  • @brianSalem541

    @brianSalem541

    13 күн бұрын

    They're dead, Jim.

  • @TheBetterManInBlack
    @TheBetterManInBlack18 күн бұрын

    This year has been the worst I've seen for tumbleweeds here in 15 years. I've got one of the barbs in my finger even now.

  • @alanhelton
    @alanhelton18 күн бұрын

    I live on a Ranch outside Winslow AZ and the cows here graze upon prairie grass sagebrush and tumbleweed…

  • @Chris-ut6eq
    @Chris-ut6eq18 күн бұрын

    Glad YT tumbled me into this story. Keep spreading these story seeds!

  • @JamesGoetzke
    @JamesGoetzke18 күн бұрын

    On Star Trek they call these things Tribbles.

  • @flagmichael

    @flagmichael

    17 күн бұрын

    Good one!

  • @PlanetEarth3141

    @PlanetEarth3141

    17 күн бұрын

    False of course and lies are believed too easily.

  • @goodun2974

    @goodun2974

    17 күн бұрын

    ​@@PlanetEarth3141 , a shame we can't simply beam tumbleweeds into deep space ---- it wouldn't be inhumane at all!

  • @christopherconard2831

    @christopherconard2831

    15 күн бұрын

    It would explain the lack of Klingons across the American southwest.

  • @MichaelRainey

    @MichaelRainey

    15 күн бұрын

    ​@@christopherconard2831Yeah they stay north around Broken Bow.

  • @E5PY
    @E5PY18 күн бұрын

    YES! Plant history!! I am all about it. I would love to see an entire playlist of plant history some day (apologiesif you'vecovered any already): decorative plants gone wrong (Japanese knotweed & kudzu), moss, 'American' foods (e.g. vs Mediterranean) (sweet/potatoes, corn, carrots, cliche stuff), endangered plants -how it got that way,

  • @RetiredSailor60
    @RetiredSailor6018 күн бұрын

    Good morning from Ft Worth TX History Guy and everyone watching

  • @ShirleeKnott

    @ShirleeKnott

    18 күн бұрын

  • @daletoro

    @daletoro

    18 күн бұрын

    Ft worth here also

  • @hankpoth9681
    @hankpoth968112 күн бұрын

    For all your diligence you did not mention my favorite carton strip, Tumbleweeds! Love the channel anyhow!

  • @THEELTOPIAN1909
    @THEELTOPIAN190917 күн бұрын

    THIS IS MY FAVORITE EPISODE YET! I live in the TRi-Cities Washington and was raised in the town of Eltopia just a few miles away, situated on the Northern Pacific RR mainline (now BNSF) 120 miles south of Spokane. I'm 65 and retired, but in my youth, as a farmers son, I pulled, chopped, pitchforked, burned and hoed what seemed like thousands of thistles along furlongs of fence line. This also included forking them from around sheds, barns and houses on a calm day, far enough away to safely burn. Practically every summer our local newspaper runs a story or two of side roads blocked off for a couple of days until the county can burn them clear. You mentioned chandeliers. Here in eastern Washington we also have the traditional "TUMBLEWEED CHRISTMAS TREE". Like the chandeliers they are festooned with lights. However we usually try for three tiers high and use four or five cans of flocked snow. They're quite festive. REALLY! 😅 OH. One more story. In 1976 l was a pump jockey at the local gas station. A car with New Jersey license plates came in. In the back seat was a very large tumble weed. My coworker asked the man why he had it. "OH, I'M TAKING IT HOME. THEY'VE NEVER SCENE ANYTHING LIKE THIS"! 😂

  • @joeslayter5841
    @joeslayter584118 күн бұрын

    Once on a road trip, when my then 5 year old daughter saw her first tumbleweed cried out: "Look, Daddy at the haybale rolling across the road!" I will never forget it.

  • @Robert_Keel
    @Robert_Keel17 күн бұрын

    In 1968, I pranked my new wife when taking her to our new home in California from her home in Virginia. I knew what they were, and she had no idea at all. We were in a Corvair traveling west on Highway 80 when I spotted one, larger than the car, rolling straight down toward us on the road. I didn't say anything and simply drove right through it. I don't think she ever forgave me for that one.

  • @jameslovelady7751
    @jameslovelady775118 күн бұрын

    Tumbleweeds clogged the canal that takes Colorado River water to Los Angeles. In the 1950s a friend of mine had a summer job running a speedboat up and down collecting them and pitching them over the fence. It was steady work.

  • @LuckyBaldwin777

    @LuckyBaldwin777

    18 күн бұрын

    Interesting. I'm thinking they were afraid of them getting into the pumps.

  • @broncobubba3169
    @broncobubba316916 күн бұрын

    I always viewed tumbleweeds as a sign of death in movies. For example, if there are tumbleweeds, the town is dying.

  • @wolfstar_productions
    @wolfstar_productions16 күн бұрын

    I grew up in the Mojave, these things were like overdue visitors staying at your house beyond welcome... I learned something new.

  • @wpgne
    @wpgne18 күн бұрын

    Looks like you were able to resolve your video software issue, Lance. Look forward to seeing future videos! A topic suggestion I had was a report into the history of inks and writing instruments.

  • @michaelmanning5379
    @michaelmanning537918 күн бұрын

    What would the Sons of the Pioneers have done without tumbling tumbleweeds? Humming along with humming hummingbirds just doesn't have the same cachet.

  • @curtisstewart3179

    @curtisstewart3179

    17 күн бұрын

    Kept them looking for cool water.

  • @PlanetEarth3141

    @PlanetEarth3141

    17 күн бұрын

    I think your lyrics are incorrect.

  • @baumgartnerwm
    @baumgartnerwm18 күн бұрын

    Around 10 years ago, in central Washington state north of Sunnyside, on a rural road passing through a gully the Tumbleweeds compltely buried a section of Washington route 24. People drove through it were buried and trapped for several hours before emergency crews could dig them out. I hate them

  • @undreahankins8194
    @undreahankins819418 күн бұрын

    Love your work and what you do for us as a Country! THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE!

  • @joezeigler1064
    @joezeigler106418 күн бұрын

    In Utah during our school lunch break, we’d gather them up, stick them together and make igloo style structures to play inside.

  • @KellieT73
    @KellieT739 күн бұрын

    I was happy to see this video! I used to live near Phoenix in the west valley and miss seeing the tumbleweeds, especially on I-10. This history is so interesting 🤗

  • @TheCosmicGuy0111
    @TheCosmicGuy011118 күн бұрын

    Rollin they hatin

  • @mangamaster03
    @mangamaster0313 күн бұрын

    The Trouble with Tumbles

  • @danstotland6386
    @danstotland638615 күн бұрын

    Scientists are planning to introduce at least two fungi that parasitize tumbleweeds., and do not consume any other thistle species. They are Colletotrichum salsolae and Uromyces salsolae. Other fungi are, also, being studied. Great video, keep up the good work.

  • @constipatedinsincity4424
    @constipatedinsincity442418 күн бұрын

    Back in the Saddle Again Naturally

  • @WeazelJaguar
    @WeazelJaguar18 күн бұрын

    Last fall I drove from Southern California to BC, and the tumble weeds scared the shit out of me!

  • @0159ralph
    @0159ralph17 күн бұрын

    My home on the Westside of Albuquerque was loved by the infamous tumble weed gang. One year my whole house was completely covered with tumble weeds and burning was the only way to get rid of them. Out of all of my neighbors, I was the only house that was invaded and battered. I was cursed....

  • @seamripper0000
    @seamripper00003 күн бұрын

    This is my favorite trivia fact, I've thought at least 100 people this. So glad you are doing a video about this. FYI i live in Colorado and go to Cheyenne regularly so tumbleweeds are a constant.

  • @Wyoutside
    @Wyoutside18 күн бұрын

    Oh man I hate that weed. I’m in WY and I battle it yearly. I have a newly constructed home and the natural land that was displaced during excavation is very problematic. I’m on year 3 of battling. I find pulling it up manually works the best before seeding. I remove and or burn them. Ugh.

  • @daniellabunsky653
    @daniellabunsky65318 күн бұрын

    Good morning from California:)

  • @pulaski1
    @pulaski118 күн бұрын

    This could be the start of a series - episodes on kudzu, periwinkle, English ivy, Japanese knotweed, and Bradford pear trees (and its uncultivated hybrids) should follow.

  • @user-oh2hs6jh5x

    @user-oh2hs6jh5x

    18 күн бұрын

    Add bufflegrass to the list, plague of the Sonoran desert.

  • @ernestsmith3581

    @ernestsmith3581

    14 күн бұрын

    And on the animal side of the coin, SA fire ants, carp, starlings, feral hogs, and, yes, precious to many, feral horses have killed hundreds, if not thousands of native American species.

  • @pulaski1

    @pulaski1

    13 күн бұрын

    @@ernestsmith3581 There are probably more invasive animals than plants - flat worms, africanized "killer" bees, Asian hornets, Burmese pythons, monitor lizards, to name but a few, and the last two are part of what could be a separate series of its own - invasive animals in Florida.

  • @neilm9630

    @neilm9630

    13 күн бұрын

    You sure know your invasive species. In Illinois the Bradford pear is taking over.

  • @pulaski1

    @pulaski1

    13 күн бұрын

    @neilm9630 In SC it's no longer legal to plant Bradford pears, and they are discouraged in NC and several other states. Here in NC if you provide evidence of a felled/ removed Bradford pear the state will give you a replacement native tree; think the limit is three trees per person/home.

  • @djay6651
    @djay66515 күн бұрын

    It's ironic that one of the most iconic symbols of the Old West wasn't actually a thing in the Old West until later in the era.

  • @blandrooker6541
    @blandrooker654114 күн бұрын

    We in Colorado made the news winter before last with a huge tumbleweed problem, but this past winter, we hardly had any.

  • @MrLeafeater
    @MrLeafeater18 күн бұрын

    Yay...let's cross-breed it with Kudzu. Love your work!!

  • @k.c1126

    @k.c1126

    18 күн бұрын

    Lol kudzu of the high plains ... 😂😂😂

  • @dawnreneegmail

    @dawnreneegmail

    17 күн бұрын

    Oh lord, kudzu!!

  • @noneyabizz8337

    @noneyabizz8337

    17 күн бұрын

    At least this was accidental. Man kudzu has ruined so much

  • @fposmith
    @fposmithКүн бұрын

    These things would be perfect to collect and transport to the coast and used to build and restore "Sand Dunes" !

  • @pam112061
    @pam11206120 сағат бұрын

    We drove to South Dakota in 2009 from NC. We took the long way there - through Missouri, Kansas and Colorado before going briefly through Wyoming.....while in Wyoming we encountered an attack by Tumbleweeds. We were in a Mustang , so low-ish to the ground. There was a wind storm and tumbleweeds were blowing everywhere - and there were so damn many of them! We had to pull off the road it was so bad. We still talk about that experience now....

  • @stuartriefe1740
    @stuartriefe174018 күн бұрын

    Good morning from Connecticut, fellow students. Now let’s all settle down for our lesson!

  • @JeffreyGlover65

    @JeffreyGlover65

    18 күн бұрын

    Present!

  • @kraneiathedancingdryad6333
    @kraneiathedancingdryad633317 күн бұрын

    Dried tumbleweeds are highly flammable and are have known to create fire tornadoes when the flames come racing across the plains. I did a college project on invasive species and this was one of the plants. In keeping with the "South Dakota's Least Wanted" promotional thing they did a few years back, I put faces on the photos and had them holding ID numbers like they'd lined up for a mug shot. There's a few of them here in the black hills, but not as much as the surrounding areas. I'm a plant nerd, and I approve this message.

  • @stephenskinner4857
    @stephenskinner485718 күн бұрын

    Long Live the History Guy. Love your clever creative presentation of what many would find boring topics, you have found facts to create an entertaining subject. I even found history in poorly taught Public Schools, interesting.

  • @jeffcraig6227
    @jeffcraig622718 күн бұрын

    I am itching just watching this! Whoa unto you if a tumbleweed brushes your leg!

  • @nedludd7622
    @nedludd762217 күн бұрын

    Tumbleweed is also a problem in Australia. I first became aware of it many years ago in reading a detective novel by Arthur Upfield in his "Bony" series where it was an important factor. Those books are delightful reads. There are many species of tumbleweed, all apparently from Russia and Siberia. You mentioned US-Russia relations. It was after WWI when relations became antagonistic. Near the end of the war, the US sent troops to attack Russia in the north at Arkhangelsk and in the east at Vladivostok instead of bringing them home. That invasion lasted nearly two years and is history that deserves to be remembered.

  • @corvid...
    @corvid...18 күн бұрын

    Very interesting video, as always.. also i got my THG shirt recognized by a stranger at the store a few days ago and that started an interesting conversation 😊

  • @jagsdomain203
    @jagsdomain20315 күн бұрын

    I use to live in Victorville. We use to make tumble weed snowman

  • @stephenhenderson9871
    @stephenhenderson987118 күн бұрын

    Good morning from Indiana, I’ve seen them here especially when all the crops are out.

  • @patraic5241
    @patraic524118 күн бұрын

    I was training at the NTC near Boise Idaho. We had high winds for a couple of days. The whole countryside seemed to come alive with tumble weed. Everywhere you looked brown round rolling bushes for as the eye could see.

  • @craighoover1495

    @craighoover1495

    16 күн бұрын

    I lived at Mtn Home AFB for 4 years. We had a few there too.

  • @Svensk7119

    @Svensk7119

    16 күн бұрын

    There's an NTC near Boise? I went to the one near Barstow in the early 90s.

  • @patraic5241

    @patraic5241

    16 күн бұрын

    @@Svensk7119 It's next to Gowan AFB. We used the barracks at the base and had a field encampment near our tanks. It was just building up at the time. About 1990.

  • @goodun2974
    @goodun297417 күн бұрын

    At 9:30 , an epistle about a thistle; had it been sent as an email, it'd be an e-thistle! 😁

  • @BasicDrumming
    @BasicDrumming18 күн бұрын

    I appreciate you and thank you for making content.

  • @DCI_LeoDan_
    @DCI_LeoDan_18 күн бұрын

    13:45 The tumbleweeds pulled PRANKS on people!?

  • @mora103
    @mora10311 күн бұрын

    I was super excited when I finally seen a tumble weed, pretty silly 😂

  • @bronwynecg
    @bronwynecg18 күн бұрын

    Good morning! 👋🏽 😊

  • @jbtubman
    @jbtubman18 күн бұрын

    Very interesting. There's no shortage of tumbleweeds here in western Canada. (Although I don't think that Canada counts as "far-flung" from an American point of view.)

  • @dougalexander7204
    @dougalexander720418 күн бұрын

    I had no idea. Thank you, Mr. History guy.

  • @mikeable1376
    @mikeable137618 күн бұрын

    Thanks great story.

  • @rockydog523
    @rockydog52314 күн бұрын

    When I was younger, I remember being hit by a tumbleweed in the winter. I got up and it tumbled on it's way 😊

  • @mattgeorge90
    @mattgeorge9017 күн бұрын

    Thank you for sharing! ❤

  • @thomasott5899
    @thomasott589918 күн бұрын

    Eastern Washington also has a mustard plant that tumbles along and piles up like tumbleweeds. Sometimes you get a bad dose of both weeds.

  • @ajg617
    @ajg61718 күн бұрын

    I grew up thinking it was simply a part of the American west and later iconic symbols of the dust bowl. Who knew. Now I have to keep a sharp eye out as I travel through the mid-west.

  • @e.f.3207
    @e.f.320718 күн бұрын

    Terrific episode!

  • @paulyosef7550
    @paulyosef755018 күн бұрын

    Had then on the farm in Elburn IL.

  • @johnopalko5223

    @johnopalko5223

    17 күн бұрын

    Small world. Back in the 1980s I worked with a guy who lived in Elburn. That's not a town name I ever expected to see here.

  • @usapatriot4163
    @usapatriot416314 күн бұрын

    Great story as usual! Thanks!

  • @yoinkhaha
    @yoinkhaha17 күн бұрын

    This was a great episode.

  • @MASS1866
    @MASS18667 күн бұрын

    Kochia and russian thistle are incredibly invasive AND quickly becoming immune to most pesticides. I have recently seen whole sections of poorly managed crop land literally covered with the stuff. And now with the wind have dropped seeds for up to 100 timed the area.

  • @firstchoice7761
    @firstchoice77616 күн бұрын

    I love your show; it's so bazaar, engaging, and humorous.

  • @jasonz7788
    @jasonz778818 күн бұрын

    Great job

  • @nhmooytis7058
    @nhmooytis705816 күн бұрын

    As a kid we lived in Phoenix. Age 3 in 1955 my best friend and I built a tumbleweed fort in the front of our apartment building.

  • @stevenmiller2427
    @stevenmiller242712 күн бұрын

    Outstanding information. Thank. Keep the good work 👏 🙌 👍

  • @jasonkilgore1977
    @jasonkilgore197718 күн бұрын

    Well, I learned something new today. Great video. Thank you.

  • @J.A.Smith2397
    @J.A.Smith239718 күн бұрын

    Never knew!!!! Tks