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Russian Thistle

It's believed that tumbleweeds were introduced to the American West in the 1870s when they were mistaken as Russian flax seed and planted in South Dakota. Since then the resilient Russian thistle has spread and become a symbol for the rugged and often desolate Western landscape.

Above, tumbleweeds pause in their wanderings around Arizona's Monument Valley Navajo Tribal Park.

Photograph by Diane Cook and Len Jenshel, National Geographic Creative

Growing Wild in the West: Photos of Invasive Tumbleweeds

Check out these unique photos of the invasive weed that became a symbol of the American West.