Poison-hemlock, the toxic cousin of the carrot, is easy to spot in April. Look for the large mounds of bright green, lacy-looking leaves on stout, purple-spotted stems rising up above the grass. It’s important to recognize because poison-hemlock (Conium maculatum)… Read More ›
Just added to the Washington State Noxious Weed List in 2018, European coltsfoot (Tussilago farfara) is still new to many of us in the noxious weed world. However, this interesting species has been used as a medicinal plant in China… Read More ›
There are three things I often hear about Scotch broom (or Scot’s broom, which may be the correct common name, but is not as commonly used). First, people tell me they hate this plant because they are allergic to it…. Read More ›
Late fall is a great time to trim butterfly bush plants before the seeds fly away. Seeds can move 40 miles away on the wind and take root everywhere from roadsides to pristine rivers. The blooms have mostly lost their… Read More ›
Native to Mexico and the Midwestern United States, buffalobur (Solanum rostratum) is an annoying—and painful—regulated Class C noxious weed in King County. While we’re just a truck ride from its native range, this plant has effectively spread all over the… Read More ›
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 ›
