Ricky Linex–a
wildlife biologist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service in
Weatherford–recently emailed me an Aug. 21 photo of what he calls mares tail (horseweed, Conyza canandensis) in front of an old fireplace at the ruins of Fort Phantom Hill, located north of Abilene, Texas. He said I could share the photo.
"These ruins are what remain of an old U.S. military outpost from the
1850's," he wrote. "I was in the eastern Panhandle last week and the mares tail
there was approaching 5 feet in height, which is large for free range
plants that don't get watered and pampered. Some volunteer plants are
desirable and some are not. Perhaps the next one will be a keeper."
3 comments:
I continue to be grateful to you for raising awareness of the identity of this Texas wide "drop-in" visitor, or as Mr Linex puts it, "free-range plants". I spotted two more small plants that had developed flower heads though each was barely a foot tall, having accidentally been trimmed back along with the group of desired flowers they had joined in a driveway side bed.
I was able to recognize the plant readily due to your posts, and promptly got them out by the roots. I'll be vigilant for more and hopefully will at least keep from adding to the wind borne seed dispersal in my immediate area. Thanks!
Great! I thought Ricky's photo was pretty, as well. :-)
That photo is gorgeous and to me, iconic of so many abandoned sites in Texas. Lonesome and beautiful all at once.
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