Trevor Hughes

USA TODAY

PUEBLO, Colo. -- This town on the edge of the Great Plains is being plagued by an annual and unwelcome visitor: tumbleweeds.

The weeds, an invasive species, spend all summer growing on ground that's been plowed up for planting or development. Come fall, they die off, dry out and break off as strong winds sweep through the area, tumbling them for miles across the plains, strewing seeds as they go. The cycle begins anew each spring.

This week's Arctic Front is to blame for the most recent infestation, bringing high winds that strewed the plants across the plains.

And while the tumbleweed may be a familiar symbol for those of us who grew up watching Westerns, they're no friend to the people who actually live here. Homes and businesses across the area have massive piles of tumbleweeds piled against their walls, fences and even front doors.

Things got so bad earlier this year that several counties declared a state of emergency, hoping state or federal officials would take notice. While FEMA didn't show up, county workers began building special machines to grind up the unwanted guests.

"We just got inundated them. They kind of took over," said

Jim Reid, executive director of public services for El Paso County, in central Colorado. "We tried all kinds of things... and the machine it chews them up and spits them out."

Reid's crews this summer were forced to use snowplows to clear the roads in some areas because the weed piles had gotten too large. Firefighters say the tumbleweeds pose a danger because people drive over them in their cars, potentially igniting the bone-dry plants that can then blow more miles across the plains.

In wetter years, the weeds are less of a problem because farmers can grow more crops and raise larger herds of cattle, giving the weeds less room to grow. But dry years tend to force herds to shrink, causing a one-two punch: cows will only grudgingly eat the tumbleweeds, and if there are fewer cows, more weeds can grow. And when the herds are smaller, farmers plant less corn or other crops, leaving their fields open to infestation.

"We had a little bit more water this year, but that doesn't mean we don't still have a problem," said Jean Hinkle, the county administrator in Otero County, on the plains of southern Colorado.