Topics
Special Series
Weed of the Month
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Weed of the Month: Pigweed
Pigweed is considered an agricultural scourge in the United States, but elsewhere it's a nutritious food plant. In Jamaica, it's valued as a leafy green, and its protein-rich seeds are used like a grain in other parts of the world.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Poison Ivy
Identifying this poison ivy requires a keen eye since its leaf color and shape varies. Learn to recognize its distinguishing characteristics.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: White Snakeroot
This weed looks harmless, but it was once a secret scourge that probably killed Abraham Lincoln's mother.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Jimson Weed
Appreciate this witchy weed's beautiful blooms and spiky seedpods, but beware. Its notoriously toxic seeds and leaves can cause convulsions, hallucinations or even death, and climate change is making its poisons even more powerful.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Purslane
Purslane runs up to $10 a pound at the farmers' market, but you're likely to find it growing as a garden weed. Its peppery, succulent leaves are nutritious and great in dishes like tzatziki.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Galinsoga
Resist the temptation to compost this unassuming white-flowered plant unless you want to host multiple generations!
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Common Blue Violet
This delicate-looking wildflower is irrepressible. Mow it down or pull it up, and it will almost always return. How does it survive and reproduce so well?
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Morning-Glory
This lovely climbing vine has beautified many a chain link fence, but not everyone is a fan.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Chicory
Its roots taste like coffee, its leaves taste like dandelion greens, and its blue flowers will be gone before you know it.
By Saara Nafici -
Weed of the Month: Shepherd’s Purse
Look around, and you'll see plenty of shepherd's purse. Once used as a nosebleed remedy, this spring weed has an unusual adaptation: its seeds "eat" insects.
By Saara Nafici
