Tumbleweed by goodoleboy
Close
Hover over top left image to zoom.
Click anywhere to exit.
Members remain the original copyright holder in all their materials here at Renderosity. Use of any of their material inconsistent with the terms and conditions set forth is prohibited and is considered an infringement of the copyrights of the respective holders unless specially stated otherwise.
Description
Captured 12/27/07 at 7:29 AM, a short distance from my abode.
The humble(?) tumbleweed, made famous, as you know, by the Sons of the Pioneers, in the song, TUMBLING TUMBLEWEEDS.
Also known as Russian thistle or wind witch, it is a member of the goosefoot family. They are hardy and tough and should be handled with care.
This tumbleweed showed up by railroad tracks after moderate winds blew through our area overnight. It measured 6 feet-8 inches in length and 5 feet in diameter.
I can't figure where it came from since they're normally indigenous to the prairies and/or deserts of the western United States, and I live deep in an urban area.
Incidentally, I also saw one yesterday that was much larger than this guy sitting out in the middle of a busy street. I was driving at the time but if I'd had my camera with me I would have stopped and snapped that beauty.
Better viewed full size.
Have a wild and wooly weekend.
Comments (15)
durleybeachbum
How interesting!! What peculiar stuff!
odie
We saw these blowing across the road while traveling through Nebraska and Colorado. What were they when they were green....sagebrush?? Kinda looks like a giant furball..lol. The one thing that blows by us in Minnesota would be thistle down and maple seeds!
goodoleboy
odie: I couldn't find any reference to sagebrush in my research.
witch_1612
Very Nice!!!
jocko500
first time I saw one with so much detail to it. ande so close too. See them on tv in westerns but this is cool to see it here.
RobyHermida
nice...........
auntietk
Ah yes. "Drifting along with the tumbling tumbleweeds." A most excellent capture, my friend! The detail is quite fascinating, and I like the light. Many, many years ago my then-mother-in-law lived in your town, and I can picture it easily. It amazes me that there would be a tumbleweed there! I'm quite pleased that you ran across this and took pictures.
lilbiscuit
I see a few of these where I live. Wonderful capture.
Liam.
Excellent photo
frankie96
That thing is a fur piece from home..so to speak in olde western slang... and yes I am old enough to remember the song..:)
cmolsen2002
This is great. I don't think I've seen this before. Are those little thorns I see?
ledwolorz
Nice shot.
babuci
interesting shot Harry, we don't have things like that here so realy thanks for this shot.
mbz2662
As hard as the winds have been blowing, it probably blew in from the prairies...lol! Nice shot.
tennesseecowgirl
You brought back a very funny memory with that shot .....too long to share here......but thanks, creative fun shot.