1. Gorse

    Ulex europaeus Gorse - A thorny perennial shrub that closely resembles Scotch Broom and can grow to be 10+ feet tall.Leaves: Leaves are small, dark green and trifoliate — having 3 thin leaflets. As they mature, they become spiny. The leaf axils also have spines.Flowers: Flowers bloom April - September. Bright yellow pea-like flowers form clusters near branch terminals.Habitat: Can grow in most habitats, but is especially prevalent in coastal environments.Weed Classification: B DesignateWhy is it a Noxious Weed? Aside from "noxious" growth habits, gorse also creates large physical barriers and poses significant wildfire risk due to the concentration of …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 9:47 a.m.

  2. Poison Hemlock

    Conium maculatum Poison Hemlock - Very tall biennial that can grow up to around 12 feet in height. Stems will have purple splotches that help with identification.Leaves: Leaves are fern-like, toothed and finely divided. Look very similar to wild carrot leaves.Flowers: Flowers bloom from April-August. Flowers are small, white, and occur in 4–8-inch umbrella-shaped clusters.Habitat: Plant is highly adaptive, but prefers rich, moist soil.Weed Classification: B SelectWhy is it a Noxious Weed?The entire plant is toxic to animals and humans. Contains poisonous alkaloids, such as coniine. Poison Hemlock can spread quickly and infest large areas.Poison Hemlock should not be burned, …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 9:48 a.m.

  3. Oxeye Daisy

    Leucanthemum vulgare Oxeye Daisy - A perennial, herbaceous plant growing 1-3 feet tall.Leaves: Leaves are alternate and lance-shaped, with toothed or lobed edges.Flowers: Flowers bloom from May-October. Single flowerhead at the end of the stem. It has many white ray-flowers, creating the "petals," and yellow disc-flowers in the middle.Habitat: Found in grasslands, overgrazed pastures, waste areas, meadows, roadsides, railroad ROWs, yards, and fields.Weed Classification: CWhy is it a Noxious Weed?It can aggressively invade fields and decrease plant diversity. It decreases crop yield and has rhizomes with adventitious roots.Oxeye Daisy is very common in Lewis County. It can be hard to …


    Weed Control - Oct. 6, 2022, 9:32 a.m.

  4. Common fennel

    Foeniculum vulgare Common Fennel - A large perennial herb that grows to be about 6' tall, smells strongly of licorice, and spreads via seeds and pieces of the root crown.Leaves: Dark green or bronze feather-like, deeply lobed and somewhat spindly, the leaves are completely hairless and attachment points (petioles) are fleshy with a wide base.Flowers: In bloom from May to September, the small yellow flowers form an umbrella shaped cluster (umbel) and resemble those of poison hemlock and wild chervil.Habitat: Can establish in just about any habitat from roadsides, to prairies, to coastal bluffs, to wetland areas.Weed Classification: B DesignateWhy …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 9:46 a.m.

  5. Hawkweeds

    Hieracium spp. Orange Hawkweed Mouseear Hawkweed Hawkweeds - Most hawkweed species are hairy and have a milky latex in their stems.Leaves: Most species will have basal leaves. Stem leaves can vary by subgenus. Leaves can be smooth, toothed, or lobed.Flowers: Blooms typically May - Sep. Most non-native species will have yellow ray flowers, but some species can have orange flowers as well. Flowers looks similar to dandelion flowers.Habitat: Typically found in fields, meadows, pastures, forest clearings, and disturbed areas like roadsides and abandoned farmland.Weed Classification: B DesignateWhy is it a Noxious Weed?The plants are invasive, spread easily, and negatively impact …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 9:47 a.m.

  6. Milk Thistle

    Silybum marianum Milk Thistle - A large, sparsely branched thistle growing up to 6 feet tall. Easy to identify, due to the leaf patterning.Leaves: Alternate, deeply lobed, and pointed leaves. Leaves have a very noticeable white and dark green marbling. The basal leaves can get up to 20 inches long and 10 inches wide.Flowers: Flowers bloom from May-August. Rounded cluster of tubular flowers that have spine-tipped bracts (scales) around it.Habitat: Occurs in many places such as: overgrazed pastures, roadsides, waste areas, ditches, and disturbed areas.Weed Classification: AWhy is it a Noxious Weed?It is an aggressive invader that can grow into …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 10:57 a.m.

  7. Rush Skeletonweed

    Chondrilla juncea Rush Skeletonweed - A perennial that grows 1-5 feet tall. It has a long slender taproot that can grow 7 feet in length.Leaves: Basal leaves are lobed and slightly curved towards the leaf base. The stems have very few leaves that are smaller and have smooth edges.Flowers: Flowers bloom from July-September. Flowers consist of many yellow ray flowers and are either single or clustered. They are about 1/2 inch in diameter with green bracts (scales) underneath.Habitat: Can be found in pastures, rangeland, cropland, roadsides, open and disturbed areas.Weed Classification: B DesignateWhy is it a Noxious Weed?Rush Skeletonweed can …


    Weed Control - Oct. 5, 2022, 3:36 p.m.

  8. Field Bindweed

    Convolvulus arvensis Field Bindweed - An herbaceous perennial with extensive rhizomes that help it creep through fields and over plants.Leaves: Arrowhead-shaped leaves that alternate along the stem. Leaves have two lobes at the base.Flowers: Flowers bloom from April-October. Flowers are bell or funnel-shaped and are about 1 inch across. They range from white-pink and have bracts (scales) where the flower stem meets the plant stem.Habitat: It grows anywhere from full sun to full shade and is drought tolerant. Found in ravines, greenbelts, forested parks, farmlands, driveways, flower gardens, and ornamental bordersWeed Classification: CWhy is it a Noxious Weed?Once established it …


    Weed Control - Oct. 6, 2022, 9:33 a.m.

  9. European Coltsfoot

    Tussilago farfara European Coltsfoot - a rhizomatous perennial that forms intricate colonies and grows up to 18" tall.Flower: Flowers bloom from March - May. The solid yellow flower looks somewhat like a dandelion, but on a stem absent of any basal leaves. The stems are unbranched and each produces a single flower.Leaves: Basal leaves emerge after flowers begin going to seed. They vary in size from 2-12" and grow from the rhizomes in rosettes. They also have a big variation in size and can be heart shaped, orbicular, or triangular, and have a narrow indentation at the base. The margins …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 9:45 a.m.

  10. Eggleaf Spurge

    Euphorbia oblongata Eggleaf Spurge - Upright perennial growing about 3 feet tall. Has a woody, branched taproot. Plant stems covered in fine white hairs.Leaves: Alternate and hairless leaves that are oblong and finely toothed. Prominent midvein is visible.Flowers: Flowers bloom from May-July. Clustered flowers with a few male flowers and one female flower. Clusters have yellow bracts (scales) at their base followed by a whorl of yellowish green leaves.Habitat: Typically found in damp meadows, streambanks, shadow woodlands, dry hillsides, roadsides, and waste areas.Weed Classification: AWhy is it a Noxious Weed?Originally introduced as a garden ornamental. This plant is invasive and …


    Weed Control - Sept. 29, 2022, 10:46 a.m.