Thurman Johnson went to a Safeway Aug. 22, 2025, in Spokane, Washington, to gear up for a day of removing invasive garden loosestrife, but he ultimately stumbled upon a much more menacing weed lurking in that grocery store’s parking lot. One lone Palmer amaranth stalk towered 3 feet tall in the parking lot’s landscaping island. At its roots were Palmer amaranth seedlings. A mess of bright red and yellow seeds gave the weed’s origin away -- birdseed scattered by a well-meaning Safeway shopper.
Crisis at bird feeder, unwelcome contaminated seed
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Washington’s second known Palmer amaranth population resides next to a tree.
Birdseed found beside Washington’s second known Palmer amaranth population lends an idea to where it originated.
Johnson and a fellow county employee spend seven hours digging through store bought bird feed to identify each seed species in the bag.
Amaranth seed is found in birdfeed.
Weed seeds germinate after being digested by birds.
The map displays potential weed seed dispersal distances from waterfowl.
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