This weed has popped up in several different places in our yard this year. I have tried to wait until flowers emerged, but have had to yank several (including this one after I photographed it) before they flowered. I can’t pester my plant systematics expert without flowers (or fruit) or a suggested ID and my master gardener friend is at a similar disadvantage without flowers, so I have just been biding my time.
With yesterday’s post of an unknown moth, KV commented, “Large Lace-border moth according to my Seek app.” It was a good photo for diagnostic purposes and Seek nailed it. So I installed Seek and I aimed the app at another of these plants. It came up with American Burnweed (Erechtites hieraciifolius, not surprisingly, in the Asteraceae, or aster, family). Now that I probably have the ID narrowed, if not spot-on, I'm ready to go to my plant systematics expert and master gardener with that suggestion. Thanks, KV! I sense another web site I will be using — and linking — frequently…
Retired economics professor (“dismal scientist”). Married 40+ years to the love of my life; we have two grown daughters, both married, two granddaughters and a...
Seek does great on a lot of things but is often lackluster on green plants without flowers unfortunately. It is really helpful on many other things though and I hope you enjoy it. I learned of it a few years ago from a teenager who was working as a volunteer in the butterfly house I often visit.
@kvphoto Thanks for your assessment! It looks like I'll have to wait a month for flowers, but the remaining plant is in a place where I think it will be left alone to progress! Then maybe we can find out for certain!
@kvphoto While I was outside snapping the burnweed, Seek correctly identified our butterfly magnet as “Butterfly Bush” and a skipper on the Buddleja as “Fiery Skipper,” so I’m psyched that this is going to help a lot!
