topic Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed? in Community Chat

Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Kachina624 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:19:27 GMT

This week's Spring winds have them blowing everywhere, spreading their seeds. Here a sharp close-up view of a small one. You can easily see the thorns that make them treacherous to handle but allow them to stick together and form a mass that can block roads and imprison people in their homes. They are a scourge on the Southwest.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

JYWilliams — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:21:42 GMT

Yikes

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Mz iMac — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:47:43 GMT

In Realto, Ca they have both. I've only seen them rolling around in the "undeveloped" desert areas. Not in the neighborhoods.

I told my nephew, they act like they're scared to roll across the street.

I loved waking up in the mornings watching the tumbleweeds as my bedroom window faced the desert.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

meem120 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 20:48:52 GMT

WOW!I. I thought they were just a bunch of fluff. I had no idea about the thorns. Ouch!

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

on the bay — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:10:26 GMT

I would not like those at all!
They look like barbed wire!

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

catter70 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:14:20 GMT

Ouch.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

shoekitty — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:35:38 GMT

OUCHIE MAMA,

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Lynnscats — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 21:47:58 GMT

My dad was stationed in El Paso and also in Lawton OK, we saw a lot of tumbleweeds, they really freaked me out when I first saw them....I was 5 or 6...

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

AuntG — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:17:10 GMT

Ouch. I thought they were light and airy.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

JudyL — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:33:06 GMT

Wow, those are some thorns. Remind me of bouganvilla (sp?) thorns.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

SharkE — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:33:17 GMT

They're not all thorny like that picture. Most of them are just balled up dead grasses. Wind will keep them

moving on to another persons yard. I can't remember when we had rain last. Had couple inches of snow in Jan.

My biggest gripe is the **** winds !!!!! Can't believe my windmilll is still working.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Regal Bee — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:35:16 GMT

@Kachina624 I've only seen them on Gunsmoke reruns.

They look like something I wouldn't want to mess with.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

SharkE — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 22:42:21 GMT

How fires start. Sometimes they roll across the road while your driving. They can catch fire if they clog up

your exhaust pipe.. I had a walmart plastic bag melt on my pipe. Kept smelling smoke garage man put it up on a lift and there the bag had melted .

I got a strong nose. Like a beagle hound.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Kachina624 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:07:28 GMT

@SharkE. If they don't have thorns, they're some type of prairie grass, not tumlbleweeds.

Buffalo grass is native to your area. Huge herds of buffalo roamed across West Texas. One of the most genetically pure herds still exists in Palo Duro Canyon.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Kachina624 — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:05:19 GMT

@AuntG. They are a green plant until fall when they die and turn brown, then release from the ground. I live in a subdivision nowhere near open desert but they show up on my doorstep. I gingerly pick them up and put in the garbage can.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

pinkcrystal — Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:38:52 GMT

Yes, seen many when I lived in Wyoming. Horrible things and really hard to get rid of if they blow in your yard. They are huge and we used to throw them over the fence or into the street where they'd end up blowing into other people's yards which is probably how they got into mine too lol.

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

just bee — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:06:09 GMT

Tumbleweeds in action...

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Kitty Galore — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:17:13 GMT

when I lived in Utah for a few years there would be time we'd see them rolling down the street, there must have been 30 or more all stuck together 🙀! Once a large bunch was up against our front door.....scary ! The way they look too, scary looking things 😬. Being from the east coast I didn't grow up seeing them so it was a site the first time!!!

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Kitty Galore — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:18:28 GMT

@meem120 wrote:
WOW!I. I thought they were just a bunch of fluff. I had no idea about the thorns. Ouch!

@meem120 @I thought that too till I actually saw them up close!

Re: Ever See a Tumbleweed?

Kitty Galore — Sat, 21 Feb 2026 00:20:51 GMT

@Regal Bee wrote:
@Kachina624 I've only seen them on Gunsmoke reruns.

They look like something I wouldn't want to mess with.

@Regal Bee @that's where I saw them too, I just didn't know they were thorny!