A ‘Zombie’ Plant Roams Free on the Wyoming Prairie – laramielive.com

The dead roam the prairie of Wyoming. With the right conditions, they could easily swarm in large numbers. These plants are one of the few that don't stay planted to the ground. If you've spent any time in Wyoming, it is highly likely that you've run across these zombies. They are tumbleweeds.

Those bunches of thistles are in fact dead. Most life reproduces when they are alive. In a video from Curiosity Steem and PBS, they describe the life cycle of a tumbleweed. The Russain Thistle (aka the tumbleweed) dispenses its seeds after it is dead and dried up. Thus it allows the plant to spend all of its energy to live and not to reproduce. Once severed from its base, the plant then uses the Wyoming wind to roam the open prairies throwing its potential offspring along the way.

Although these "zombies" are not a threat to eat your brains, the biggest danger is they are a fire hazard. In large numbers, they can also trap or barricade people inside their homes or vehicles. Thankfully, there is no need to stock up on canned food and shotgun shells ... yet.

Fun Facts About Tumbleweeds

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A 'Zombie' Plant Roams Free on the Wyoming Prairie - laramielive.com