Tumbleweed, Russian thistle

Congrats! This spotting has been chosen as a PN Fact of the Day! https://www.facebook.com/projectnoah/photos/a.10150595289465603.674700.10150120463815603/10154845679260603/?type=1&notif_t=scheduled_post_published Project Noah Fact of the Day: Mention the word tumbleweed and many people are mentally transported to the old ghost towns of the west. But tumbleweeds can be one of many plant species and occur in many places around the world usually in steppe or arid habitats. According to Wikipedia, "A tumbleweed is a structural part of the above-ground anatomy of any of a number of species of plants, a diaspore that, once it is mature and dry, detaches from its root or stem, and tumbles away in the wind." Russian thistle is a common tumbleweed of the western U.S. that is not a native of the U.S. but has become naturalized here to the point of being a noxious weed in some areas. It is believed to have been accidentally introduced from Eurasia when it was brought over in some agricultural seeds. Tumbleweed, Russian thistle (Salsola tragus) spotted in California, USA by PN users Ronald and Amissa: http://www.projectnoah.org/spottings/7521178

I think it's amazing that this plant, an icon of the desert Southwest, is actually an introduced weed from Russia!

More photos here: http://calphotos.berkeley.edu/cgi/img_query?query_src=photos_index&where-taxon=Salsola+tragus