What is this plant? Is it beneficial to bees or butterflies?
by Drbulzi
What is this plant? Is it beneficial to bees or butterflies?
by Drbulzi
23 Comments
Mullein
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verbascum_thapsus
It might be considered invasive where you are, but it’s not really one of the really bad invasive plants.
You’re probably better off pulling it up.
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Mullein. It chokes out native plants that bees and butterflies and other pollinators use for food. Typically grows in ditches where common milkweed would like to grow in my area (7a).
Beauty is in the eye of the beholder weed.
It’s every bit as naturalized in Nevada and Utah as it is Wyoming and Colorado, and all 4 feature much the same bioregion types and ecosystems for the most part, and so so so many of the same land uses from agriculture to recreation, etc. These states make up much of the Great Basin and the Colorado Plateau bioregions. And yet Wyoming and Colorado say it’s “invasive” whereas Nevada and Utah regard it as benign, naturalized, heck it’s even seen as highly beneficial in the context of burn scars. Make it make sense.
Suffice to say, I think the state-by-state designation does not make sense when plants and bioregions don’t adhere to political boundaries. Absurdities abound!
edit: the term “naturalized” clearly implies I know it is not native to north america. But invasive =/= non-native. And OP’s question “bad weed” ALSO =/= non-native.
Weed is a state of mind.
good for bees, butterflies. some say invasive, I say beautiful.
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Yes. Mullein.
If you’re in North America it’s an invasive weed. If it’s yours, you should pull it immediately.
(It’s only *officially* invasive in some states. It’s just a non-native, aggressive pain in the ass everywhere else.)
Some bees and bird species will eat the nectar or seeds, but it is NOT a host plant for native caterpillars or other insects and crowds out native species that might serve them better.
It’s widely distributed at this point, but it spreads extremely fast if you let it go to seed. It has some folk medicine properties…
A weed is something you dont like
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Def dont let it goto seed, for real……..
I have an ENORMOUS 8 foot tall Mullein in my yard and it’s in flower right now I give it miracle grow and everything 🙌 such a beautiful fuzz for real
Why the hell would anyone downvote me? I mean it’s just a mullein plant, I choose to have it in my yard big whoop 😒
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That fuzzy leaf texture is iconic, pretty sure I’ve pulled a hundred of these out of my yard already
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It’s good for wiping if you’re caught needing to poo
My forestry friend said to “ snip off the tips” when you see it growing is the easiest way to deal with these. Also, biennial so 2 shots.
Toilet paper plant! This is mullein and it grew around the field outhouse at the old family farm when I was a kid. Grab a few leaves and go.
No, it’s mullein. Call an herbalist so can harvest the head.
If you’re in the UK, verbascum (mullein). It will seed about but v easy to remove. There r some fantastic cultivars but the mullein opens small flowers successively so doesn’t give the show of the cultivars.
It is caterpillar food here. Not sure which but I’ve seen them shredded! The big silver rosette of leaves is attractive before it starts to raise to flower.
Yes if you aren’t an herbalist
Verbascum thapsus. Mullein. Its invasive in north america. Some use it for medicine but there are better native plants that can be used for the same purpose. Doesnt support any butterflies as a host plant, has flowers so marginally supports pollinators, like anything with single flowers (as opposed to double flowers)
Seeds can last a long time in the soil so carefully bag the seeds if you want to remove it, and throw the seeds in the trash or in the yard waste *only* if your city heat treats yard waste.