Roger Batt, Coordinator of the Idaho Weed Awareness Campaign and Jeffrey Pettingill, Bonneville County Weed Superinendent, examine a big patch of Musk Thistle in a field east of Idaho Falls. The plants are in different stages of growth, before flowering, during flowering and some of the plants are dead. The dead ones actually have an insect in them that are eating the seed. This stresses the plant and forces it to mature early. One of the bad things about these seeds is that they disseminate through the wind currents and may spread for miles.
Note that there are several video "hot spots" available which provide a lot more detailed information.
Panorama and video taken 7/25/05
