WEEDS: Here they come, Athol

For those of you who delight in weed identification I have some breaking news. Take US-95 north from CDA and when you get in the vicinity of Athol, or the new turnoff for Athol, check out the areas that border US-95 on your left or right. You will see every class of weeds that North Idaho has to offer. There might even be some weeds that are native to other states.

It appears that whoever did the hydroseeding for Athol section of the new highway forgot to include grass seed with the hydro. Or they really got taken by whomever they purchased the seed from. Having this extraordinary spectrum of weeds along the highway means that the residents of Athol and surrounding areas are going to end up with those same weeds on their property at some point, due to the many ways that seeds get transferred through the air and along the ground. It will be interesting to see what high tech strategy will be used to replace the already mature weeds with grass or whatever type of ground cover is typically used to border highways and interstates.

The positive aspect of this incident is that people will be able to see what their favorite weeds look like in full maturity and bloom.

JAY MARTIN

Athol