This is what my shoes looked like the other day after pulling just a few more weeds before the trash collectors came. Now you know why foxtails are at the top of my evil weed hierarchy? You can also see some of the evil Velcro burr weeds, too. They love to attach to my shoelaces.

All weeds are not created equal. Some are more evil than others. There are things growing in my yard that many people consider to be weeds, like dandelions. In my weed hierarchy, dandelions are not weeds to worry about. They can stay and bloom and spread as much as they want, thank you very much. Dandelions do not have burrs or stickers that get into my socks or into Biscuit’s paws. Dandelions have yellow flowers that support pollinators in early spring. Dandelions are a golden gift.

Our trash company sends out a coupon that allows us to put out extra bins and bags on one regular trash day during May or June. I always aim for the last Friday in June, since that gives me the maximum amount of time to gather the evil weeds from my yard. The evil weeds are clever, though. The Velcro burr weeds (otherwise known as hedgeparsley) tend to grow close to my California poppies. Sometimes, when I try to yank one up, I grab a poppy by mistake.

A look at some of the weeds in the trash cans that I put out last Friday

The Velcro burr weed is close to the top of my evil weed hierarchy. It is up there with the yellow clover plant that spreads along the ground with innocent-looking flowers that turn into terrible burrs. When I walk with Biscuit around our little town, I try to stay on the road and scan for patches of burrs along the side. The yellow clover burrs have been wicked this season. We can barely walk down the street without him stopping to sniff something on the side. He then inadvertently steps on a clover burr and comes back to me limping. So we have to stop; I examine his paw and pull out a sticker or two, courtesy of the yellow clover demon.

Then there are the foxtails. Foxtails are at the top of my list; they are the worst. I had a massage client once whose husband was a veterinarian. She told me that “foxtails put our kids through college.” Great. Just great. Foxtails end up in Biscuit’s paws and also in his ears, and unlike the clover burrs, they are nearly impossible for me to locate and take care of. We’ve spent hundreds of dollars over the years, taking him to the vet to have foxtails removed. Milo, our fat cat, has a vet appointment next week for his annual checkup, but we had to wait several weeks to get on the schedule because the receptionist apologetically said, “It’s foxtail season. We’re pretty busy.” Continue Reading…