We have such a magnificent selections of weeds here. It is hard to decide where to begin. This morning it was hot and sunny. On a day like that I look for a place to weed that is in the shade. It might be war, but my comfort comes first. Dandelions are a bit of a contradiction for me. I love to see fields of those yellow flowers. I know they provide food for the bees, but I hate to have them growing in my garden beds. When they cross that line they are the enemy! Seeds parachute in on the wind infiltrating when they are just a piece of fluff. Tiny little plants are easy to overlook. When they are established and put down that huge tap root, they are a formidable foe. It's a never ending battle, but we shall continue to dig them out anyway.
Some of our weeds are perfectly good plants, if they were somewhere else. This is a little oak tree complete with its acorn. It was likely planted by a squirrel. The tree providing the shade here is a black locust. The nearest big oak tree is some distance away so the acorn has traveled some distance to invade my space. Lots of other weeds were present: bindweed, purslane, quack grass... the list is a long one.
This is the WEED! I have been trying to eradicate this ever since we arrived here. It has become a rare sight here, but today I was horrified to see six plants lurking among the other weeds. This is ragweed, Ambrosia trifida L. It is my policy to kill these while they are small before they can do their dirty work making people sick with their nasty pollen. If you wear gloves and rip these suckers out before they flower you will be safe. It is a public service to eradicate this weed. Perhaps we would all be better off if this plant became extinct. I suppose it might have some redeeming quality that I don't know about. If it does I would like to hear about it. Here it is on the most unwanted list and extinction within my territory is the goal. When I see a ragweed plant , it is gone in a flash! The battle is over for today, but the war will continue until victory is ours!
