Lawn Grass

Purely in terms of displacing native plants and exposing people to health hazards, nothing comes even close to lawn grass.  It takes a lot of work/energy/chemicals to successfully grow a lawn monocrop like this.  Don't get me wrong -- I think some lawn is great for playing on, but when it's grown just for the sake of having it and isn't ever touched, I don't appreciate it much.

Wild Carrot, Queen Anne's Lace

I think there are a few things this could be, but it's probably Daucus carota,  aka Wild Carrot aka Queen Anne's Lace.  The leaf aroma is a giveaway. It tends to pull easily.

Violet

This is one of those that people actually plant.  Sure, it's kind of pretty (one species of Viola is actually the Wisconsin state flower) but it has a weedy nature and is commonly found in lawns.

Deadly Nightshade

Two views of Deadly Nightshade. It is often growing in fences like this, and note the flowers, which will soon be big blue-black berries

Need ID

What's this? I don't know.

Thistle

Here is a large, mature thistle, still in the early growing season.  I imagine that if left unchecked it will be at least 6 or 7 feet tall by Summer.  It is worth noting that thistle, as with many weeds, is a perennial, so it will just get bigger and larger.  Thistle is a prairie plant so likely the roots are giant 10 foot monster roots.

Wild Plantain

Plantago major. Pretty common in lawns. Grows close to the ground, often pretty sprawly and very short, so it takes up a lot of space and occludes the grass below it from thriving.  I imagine that the bottom, taken between two house's lawns, shows the results of one lawn being fertilized, as the plantains are so suddenly so much larger.  It is Eurasian, has some history in folk medicine and is said to be edible, but look into that and be careful.  Fairly easy to pull with a weeding tool.

Burdock patch

Nice patch of huge mature burdocks

Garlic Mustard, Selenite

I stopped at a rest stop on my way to Michigan, and thought I'd go look at the weeds along the fence. Unsurprisingly there was a lot of garlic mustard.  I pulled out my camera to take a picture, which is this one:

"Oh, what's that behind the garlic mustard?" you might be saying.  Well it's a freaking selenite crystal weighing in at about two pounds, clearly it was carefully cut.

Selenite is one of the crystal forms that gypsum takes. Gypsum is the main ingredient of plaster, which is one of my most-used art supplies.  I take this as a sign.

A word from our sponsor

Want to relax, feel great, and work out some kinks? 
Consider a shiatsu treatment at Thundersnow Shiatsu
State licensed massage therapist with
locations in Chicago (Logan Square) and Evanston

This is not the solution

The errrrr gardeners of this anonymous location have chosen to put down mechanical barriers to weeds. Great idea! Except one of them is rusting and curling up all weird and one is decomposing plastic, and the mulch they put on top has all washed away and it looks absolutely absurd and awful.

oh come on

 Give me a break. It doesn't have to be perfect, but come on.

Lemon Balm

Lemon balm (Melissa officinalis) is a nice plant, in theory.  It is attractive and has a lot of culinary, practical and folk-remedy uses. Problem is, it reproduces a lot. I once read an article about it titled "There Goes the Neighborhood," about a gardener who brought one home and a few years later it had spread past all her immediate neighbors. The bottom picture shows a thicket of it all along the fence. The leaves have a pleasant odor.  If you need it just try to be very very diligent about it. Grow it in a pot where you can control it, and it gets out, aggressively pursue it.

There is a tree in your hedge

Two examples of trees growing in hedges. I don't get it.. Top one has a mish-mash of maple and elm. Not sure about the bottom one, but it's pretty clearly not supposed to be there.

Common Milkweed - not a weed

Common Milkweed, Asclepias syriaca, is an awesome native plant. Photo shows a milkweed surrounded by day lily leaves - milkweed is the one with rounded leaves in center.  It's most notable trait is that it is the ONLY plant that monarch caterpillars eat.  The flowers are lovely and have an intoxicating aroma.

Thistle

There are a few kinds of thistle that are native to our area, but, I think, most of the thistle we see is an invasive sort. Not that it matters -- few Chicago gardeners want any thistle, native or not. Perennial, so must be dug up completely or sprayed. Obviously be careful.

Mulberry in a tree

I imagine that a bird ate a mulberry, landed on this big (non mulberry) tree, and pooped into the scar from a large branch being cut. A couple years later, we have this mulberry growing in the tree. Sort of cool, sort of horrible.

Tree of Heaven

Tree of heaven (Ailanthus altissima) is a crappy piece of crap of a tree.  It is fast growing (often 2+ feet per year) and short lived.  It is sometimes called "stink tree" or "stinking sumac" because is stinks. It also sucks. Break off and crush a leaf - smells like evil burnt nuts. Cutting does not kill it -- it will resprout with vengeance.  Can be pulled from roots when young, and otherwise needs to be dug up or sprayed.  Sometimes grows in little tight spaces, like between garages or in alleys.

May Apple (not a weed)

Here's a nice patch of may apple (Podophyllum peltatum), a rather lovely native wildflower that is at risk from invasive plants, such as garlic mustard, which is growing in thick patches just outside this photograph.  When garlic mustard moves in, it grows faster and taller than many native flowers like this may apple or the lovely trillium, and so crowds it out. It is a tragedy.

Dead soil

I find it interesting when there are patches of ground that essentially cannot support life. Erosion + soil compaction + removing grass clippings and pulling weeds + road salt + frequent traffic. Kind of sad.

Garlic Mustard (update)

Well the garlic mustard is going to seed. See the little upward-pointing peapod-like things by the flowers? Soon (likely already as I took these pictures two days ago) they are spewing forth their vile little baby garlic mustards.  The planted bed on the bottom has just a couple garlic mustard plants this year, but I 100% promise that next year there will be a kachillion of them crushing all the flowers.  This plant SUCKS.

Dandelion

I usually don't care about dandelions, except that other people care about them a great deal.  They will be with us for the foreseeable future.  A few steps to reduce their numbers and a few good rounds of pulling can go a long way.  I'm not crazy about "lawns" as above that are more dandelion than anything else.  If they are in your own safe garden they are of course delicious - sauteed with lemon and garlic, for example. 

Curled Dock

Rumex crispus. puts up a flower spike from a little nest of (surprise!) curled leaves.  The flowers are these little green dots.  Soon it will go to seed, turning a red-brown.  The seeds fall out if you pull it, and get caught in clothes and pets.  Pulls somewhat easily if the soil is good, but often the stems break in compacted soil.

Creeping Charlie aka Ground Ivy

Glechoma hederacea. Eurasian invasive.  Is in the mint family. When I lived in Michigan my lawn was completely covered by this plant. When I would try to make a bed it would creep in soooo fast.  It expands via rhizomes, and if you pull it and any of it stays in the soil, it will regenerate. Persistent pulling can be effective in a small area.   Apparently a borax spray kills it easily -- look into this if you need to control it.

Clover

Clover growing in grass (with a bunch of tree seeds). Clover is nitrogen fixing, can handle some foot traffic and makes a pretty little flower.  You should be happy if you have it in your grass.

Shepard's Purse

Capsella bursa-pastoris. This little plant can put out 4000+ seeds each.  It is an annual, and pretty weak, but as shown above it can grow in cracks etc. Quick to flower and seed, so somewhat persistent.

 

ittle

Pokeweed

Pokeweed. Phytolacca americana. This is a native (I think -- at least there is a native version) but it is generally undesirable.  Can grow 6+ feet tall, flowers and produces berries.  The stem (see cross section) is strangely succulent-like. It is easy to break, and has a big taproot, so often you will try to pull it and instead break off the above ground part and leave the taproot which will just make more stems. So, unless iti s young and pulls easily you might want to dig it up.

Weed trees

Here are some years-old weed trees growing in a raised bed strawberry patch at a preschool. Sigh. The largest are approaching 5 feet tall.

I've phoned them a few times and have told a dozen people about it, but I guess they'll just wait until they break the planter or fall over on the building.

Maple

I'm not sure what kind of maple tree this is, but I don't want it growing among my flowers.

Sweet Woodruff and Vinca Minor

Two more plants that are commonly grown but present a risk to your own plants and especially natural spaces.  Sweet Woodruff (top) and Vinca minor (aka periwinkle) on the bottom with purple flowers. Keep an eye on these unless you want them to overrun the garden.  Solid vinca minor plots do have a distinguished look, but they are not useful for wildlife.

Lily of the Valley

Another plant where weediness is relative: Lily of the Valley have a notoriously good, fleeting smell. They grow in dense clumps that will continue to spread.  In the home garden, they will eventually smother other plants, if not controlled. The real risk though is escape into the wild, where they crush everything.   Fortunately they can be controlled by pulling/digging and by defining your borders.

Siberian Elm

Siberian Elm. Ulmus pumila.  Asian-origin invasive. Wretched.  Fast growing. Wind-dispersed seeds.  Often accidentally grown to maturity, though the wood is weak and the tree is short-lived in Chicago.

The bottom picture shows a 1-inch tall plant I pulled, with a 6+ inch root that was growing under a wall.

Look for it in neglected spaces and everywhere.

Catnip

Is catnip a weed? Depends on where it is... You can go buy catnip seeds and seedlings, but it does exhibit some weed-like behavior, reproducing easily and growing in inopportune locations.   Still, it's nice to have a bit around.  I let a few plants grow to give the greens to friends with cats. The plants are easy to pull whole if it becomes a problem.

ID help

I don't know what these plants are. Do you?

Lesser Burdock

Lesser Burdock, or Common Burdock,  is readily identified by it's large, wavy-edged leaves, which can grow over a foot long. The roots grow deep and strong, so early intervention is best, of course.  Often the plant will break at the root-line. Either do this and keep an eye on it or  really dig it up.

 It is a biennial pant -- it will grow as greens only the first year, then will flower and produce the burrs that get latched onto clothing and pets in its second year.

Look for it in large patches in neglected areas, but erratically it can be anywhere.