Star Thistle

[guest@endurance.net]

Cathy Pritchett danugna@coinet.com
Ah, yes, star thistle, one of the things I don't miss about the Rogue
Valley. Having been born there some 50 years ago, I remember the valley
pre star thistle, before those california sheep brought it in on their
wool.  Of course, it's not native to California either, rather the
mediteranean.

They did a test sight several years ago in the Rogue Valley, turning a
mediteranean fly lose that lays it eggs in the blossoms.  When the eggs
hatch, the larve eat the producing parts of the plant.  They were able to
reduce the incidence of star thistle in the test area by something like
60% with the flies. Obviously, timing is critical in this approach and it
must be repeated every year.

As for horses not eating it, not true.  Once they start, they seem to
aquire a taste for it.  With my friends horse I assumed it was because he
was a typical bored, get into every thing gelding.  With  my horses, I had
an irrigated pasture with star thistle encroaching on the edges from the
unirrigated shoulder of the road.  No matter how much I pulled, there
always seemed to be some and the horses would eat it.  Fortunatly, none of
my horses ever got enough to be toxic.

Now I live in central Oregon where we get to watch a whole different group
of non native plants take over the area.  Some of them escaped garden
plants planted by people from the valley that just couldn't stand the
barren high desert (why did you come?) others coming in the tires of cars
traveling the nation.  As long as humans move about, so will the
plants,animals and insects, weed free hay or not.  <sigh>

Cathy