The great big long post I was going to do about weeds and weeding will have to wait for winter. Meanwhile, here are two three that I like to look at, motherwort (left), wild parsnip (right) and Verbena hastata (bottom). (I’m sure I’m driving Graham crazy with my lack of proper nomenclature. But I don’t have enough energy this evening to look these up.) There is a lot of concern about wild parsnip taking over the ditches and roadsides around here, and apparently in Iowa.
Good news on the invasive species front: In many areas of Upstate New York, purple loostrife is on the decline due to the importation of a beetle that feeds on it. I’ll admit that I haven’t seen any around this year yet.
I love that wild parsnip too, and I remember its scent as being almost like coconut. But it gave me a bad rash made worse by sunlight (like cow parsnip, but not as bad). I don’t cut it for bouquets anymore.
The wild parsnip flowers look almost like the lovage flowers in my neighbor’s yard just across the fence… I don’t let my lovage bloom, but I like to see hers mingling with my hollyhocks for some reason.
That verbena hastata is very pretty. Looks a bit like a delicate version of veronicastrum with that candelabra-like habit, doesn’t it?