Orange Hawkweed

I took a few flower photos in the back yard this afternoon, using my macro lens for a change. I didn't know what the little orange wildflowers along our fence were, but I love doing online research and discovered that they are Orange Hawkweed flowers -- and are considered to be noxious weeds. (You can see where they're growing in my previous blip; they're the tiny orange dots in the long grass in front of the fence.)

Here's what I learned: Introduced from Europe as an ornamental plant, Orange Hawkweed is a small perennial herb with bright orange flowers from June to September and a fibrous root system. It grows best in a sunny spot, but can also grow in shade... and is now out of control in many different types of land (grasslands, forest meadows, abandoned fields, lawns and gardens, etc.).

There can be as many as 30 tiny flowers at the top of just one of the 12-inch stems! Each flower produces 12 to 50 tiny seeds, which can remain viable in the soil for up to seven years. Whatcom County (Washington state), where we live, encourages residents to report noxious weeds, and I'll be doing that soon!

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