Puncture Vine Prompts Retired Friends to Return to Work

Article and photographs by Mason Valley NV resident Dawna Warr

David Warr and Gerry Schmedeburg went back to work for the City of Yerington Public Works Department a few weeks ago.

After between 15 and 20 years of retirement they put on their orange shirts and reported for duty!

Why would these nice senior citizens decide to go back to work?

Neither of them needed the extra income, or the extra time away from their own yard work.
But David kept noticing that Yerington was being taken over by puncture vine.

David talked to Jay Flakus, Manager at City of Yerington Public Works Department, and told Jay that David and Gerry wanted to concentrate on getting rid of as much puncture vine as possible. Mr. Flakus “Googled” puncture vine to find out what a menace it actually was!

For the last 5 weeks David and Gerry have been tirelessly finding, pulling and burning the dreaded weed.

Does the general public know why it is such a bad weed? It is likely that you have some growing in your yard as we speak! Have you heard of ” goatheads”,  those little sharp multi-sided thorns that get in the soles of your shoes, the bottom of your feet and in your tires, especially bike tires?! Well each one of those thorns will grow into a weed next year, or the year after, or even 20 years from now; and each new plant can  produce 100s of those thorns.

The puncture vine can take over your yard in a year or two,  and you may begin to think that you will never get rid of them.

When you see David and Gerry working on weeds or driving around looking for another batch of puncture vine, thank them for trying to control this awful menace.

Inspect your yard to determine if you have puncture vine plants in your yard. If you do, pull them up by the roots, roll up the vine then put it in the garbage. Rake up as many thorns/goatheads as you can find,  then consider burning the ground where the vine was. (You can acquire a burn permit through Yerington/ Mason Valley Fire Protection District Office on Main Street in Yerington.)

Next year look for new puncture vines while they are young, before they go to seed and  drop their thorns!

David and Gerry with a Gator-bed full of Puncture Vine. Checking in with John Evasovic…