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Holy Smartweed!

jagermeister

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I drove out to a property this morning to investigate a mosquito related complaint, anticipating a stagnant mosquito-infested mudhole. When I got there the swamp was damp, but mostly dried up. But what came up from the ground was this glorious sea of green!



All of you guys that duck hunt need to keep your eyes pealed for this stuff. As dry as it's been this summer, there is a lot of exposed hydric soil out there with a seed bank that's just full of smartweed and millet. Keep close tabs on it throughout the coming months, because if it floods I guarantee you the ducks will find it.



Once mature, these seeds are a preferred food source for waterfowl. Also, smartweed stands like this one often become a preferred roosting site when flooded. This patch was about 5 feet tall.

Notice the swollen nodes.... That's a dead giveaway that it's smartweed.

 

Carpn

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Beautiful to only a duck Hunter. I have been noticing a lot of dried up marshes here growing good duck food. Now we just need rain to fill em for the fall migration,
 

jagermeister

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Ohio
Beautiful to only a duck Hunter. I have been noticing a lot of dried up marshes here growing good duck food. Now we just need rain to fill em for the fall migration,

Record high duck numbers and abundant duck food could make for a good season in 2012... IF we get some water.
 

jagermeister

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Ohio
Hey Jim, nettles is often called smartweed down in the SE. Are the two the same?

Negative. I'm not sure why they call nettles "smartweed" down there... Of course, them SE Ohio boys ARE a little special. lmao Stinging nettles are in the family Uticacaea, whereas Smartweed is in the Polygonacaea family.