What plant is so tough that it can outcompete common cattail (Typha latifolia), purple loosestrife (Lythrum salicaria), and even Himalayan blackberry (Rubus armeniacus) along King County’s shores? Garden loosestrife (Lysimachia vulgaris), a Class B noxious weed from Eurasia, has managed… Read More ›
Cows and horses don’t seek out poisonous plants like tansy ragwort. But it’s hard for them to avoid exposure when the weeds take over their pastures, or line the trails where they are ridden. Although tansy ragwort is bitter and… Read More ›
What’s five feet tall, has pink or purple flowers with spotted bracts, and costs the state of Montana $42 million each year? If you answered spotted knapweed (Centaurea stoebe), you’re right! A native to grassland steppes between central Europe and… Read More ›
With shiny geranium, appearances are deceiving. Don’t let the plant’s small size or delicate pink flowers fool you. To quote Ed Alverson, a botanist from Oregon who has extensive experience battling shiny geranium, “this is pretty much the most diabolical… Read More ›
Gorse is one of the earliest and most conspicuous noxious weeds to flower in King County, adding a little color to the otherwise dull-looking hillsides. Unfortunately, along with the attractive blooms comes a huge, thorny, invasive bush that is a… Read More ›
During the winter months in the Pacific Northwest, English ivy stands out even more than usual. Although some people enjoy the evergreen look of it on fences and tree trunks, English ivy is also at its worst in the winter… Read More ›
When people ask for the worst noxious weed in King County, invasive knotweed is on the top of the list. It has so many of the qualities that make invasive plants troublesome. It grows and spreads rapidly, out-competes most other plants, is… Read More ›
In 1839, seeds of Impatiens glandulifera were sent from their native home in western Himalaya to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, England. Within 15 years, populations had escaped and naturalized into the English countryside. By the 1900’s, the… Read More ›
Giant hogweed has earned a fearsome reputation due to its massive, striking appearance and its ability to cause horrible blisters if you get the juice on your skin. June is the month hogweed plants typically reach their full size of… Read More ›
Wild chervil sounds like an exotic salad herb, but is in fact a Class B noxious weed in Washington, regulated in many counties including King County, due to its nasty habit of being invasive and taking over fields and pastures…. Read More ›
