Bull thistles are one of the most recognized weeds in Big Basin and last summer the BBVTC worked with the park's resource management group to remove the fast spreading plant from the Redwood Loop Trail. When we asked about plans for this summer, staff said the work still needed to be done but they wouldn't be able to get to it due to staffing, so the BBVTC stepped forward.
Bull thistles are biennial plants that spend the first year in a ground level rosette stage before developing a stalk in the second summer that quickly grows to seven feet in height, flowers, disperses up to 4,000 seeds, and then dies off. So attempting to control the spread is a multi-year effort and after the 2022 work we didn't want to step back and let the thistle gain a further foothold.
The work was also a nice break from the Creeping Forest Trail hillside where we've spent the last several months and the sun often beats directly down on the work area, there is little shade, and can be a challenging work environment . By comparison, the Redwood Loop was cooler and even had a large shaded area for a leisurely lunch break.
This year's work was three weeks earlier than 2022, which meant that most of the seed heads had not opened and flowered yet, so the work was easier. No need to cut off individual seed heads and gently place them in a plastic bag so they couldn't disperse their contents. Just rip the plant from the ground and leave it in place to provide ground cover and decompose naturally.
Of course the work wasn't that easy as the thistles many small spines were sometimes able to penetrate the thickest gloves if you grabbed the plant too firmly.
Thanks to Arnold Arcolio, Fremont Bainbridge, Jim Brooks, Rory Brooks, Nan Bowman, John Collins, Dale Elliott, Tommy Ha, Andrea Lee, Janette Mello, Mike Peasland, Devdutt Sheth, Bruce Washburn and Chris Young, for tolerating an occasional skin puncture and ensuring this important work wasn't overlooked.
by Mike and Jeff
photos by Mike, Bruce, and Chris