Trevor Caughlin, a Boise State University associate biology professor, holds up a goathead yanked from an abandoned lot that his research indicated was a hotspot for the invasive plant. (Murphy Woodhouse / Boise State Public Radio)

Across the region, goatheads - or puncturevine - are an invasive scourge to cyclists, walkers and our four-legged friends - popping tires and embedding themselves in shoes and sensitive paws with their bedeviling spines. There are many efforts to halt their spread, but in Boise, new research is helping volunteer removers better target their efforts.

The Mountain West News Bureau's Murphy Woodhouse spoke with researchers, volunteers - and even one dog who is not at all a fan of the noxious weed.