Western Horsenettle
During the spring of 2021, we noticed what looked like a sea of purple flowers. At closer observation these purple flowers were connected to very spiky leaves and some had what looked like hanging yellow jaw breakers. They seemed to really like sandy and almost dirt like soil. I learned fast that trying to pull these out by the stems is painful. The stems also have spikes – beware these will rip through your gloves.
As with most of the weeds I identified on the pasture, these are toxic to livestock. I was determined to rid the pastures of this invader but it seems like every time I cut 3 I saw 3 more. My friend and I must have chopped 2,000 one day. We threw them in trash bags and left them on the barn patio where they eventually shriveled to messy debris.
When Fall arrives, you can find most of the yellow seeds either on the ground or shriveled up. The plant loses its leaves and becomes a very unattractive brittle stem. I found that these appeared in colonies versus popping up randomly. Next year we will attempt to treat these chemically. Stay tuned for the full report on this.
Our model is demonstrating - Yes, you really can conquer the Horsenettle May 2021
Coltrane and Red grazing around Horsenettle - May 2021
