Weeds pt II (AKA more weeds!)

Okay here we go again, weeds, weeds, n more weeds!

I garden organically, don't water our lawns and prefer to let nature run it's course.

Most of the time.

I took these weed pics around my backyard.

At least they're purdy...

With our current drought they look better than most of my perennials!

knapweed or centaurea maculosa

Daisy fleabane

wild carrot or Queen Anne's Lace

red clover

To quote Ralph Waldo Emerson; "What is a weed? A plant whose virtues have never been discovered."

But did you know that it is illegal to allow some weeds?

Maryland's Department of Agriculture site says:

The WEED CONTROL PROGRAM enforces the Maryland Weed Control Law and assists farmers or landowners in the battle against the designated noxious weeds Johnsongrass, shattercane and thistles. The law requires landowners to manage noxious weeds on all types of land. 

The following picture of thistle is off their site (which, BTW has terrible pics). Of course WE wouldn't have any illegal weeds I could photograph, right? ;-)

 Homeowners too should not encourage many plants - even tho they are pretty some plants in the wrong environment can run wild and displace native plants and thus damage habitats. 

Did you know that butterfly bushes are on the noxious weed list in Oregon? Euonymus (burning bush) is on the noxious weed list in many New England states? Ditto yellow flag iris and damesrocket... I have all of these on my MD farm!

It's well worth visiting invasive.org to learn more. Each state has it's own problem plants so check your state Ag dept also.

chicory

Here's another helpful site to identify weeds or "wildflowers" ;-)  http://www.ppws.vt.edu/weedindex.htm

Happy gardening!