I’ve heard that tumbleweeds are not native to this country. Is that correct? Richard Rodriguez Granton, Wisconsin You’re right on target. The Russians accidentally brought it along with them in the 1870s. Seeds of salsola kali, or Russian thistle, got mixed up in the sacks of flax seed the immigrants brought with them to the Northern Plains. After its introduction in South Dakota, the tumbleweed quickly spread across the arid Western territories and states. Other species of tumbleweed


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