Humans have devised a good bit of verbal trickery to justify abuse of our surroundings. If we’re tired of a certain kind of animal—or simply don’t like the looks of him—we label the whole species a “pest.” If we think a particular plant is too independent-minded for the boring cookie-cutter aesthetic standards of our corporatized culture, we call it a “weed.”
Even the official definition of “weed” is entirely arbitrary: “a plant that is not valued where it is growing,” Webster’s tells us, “and is usually of vigorous growth; especially : one that tends to overgrow or choke out more desirable plants.” I won’t be the first or last to point out the irony of such a description sprouting from the minds of a species that has taken over the planet faster than any plant ever could.
If animals had a say in the matter—if they could write their own assessments of their surroundings—what would they tell us? We’ll never know for sure, but based on our observations, we can be certain that the flowers and trees we often treat as trash are treasures for wildlife. Some of these native plants need little introduction, having finally revealed their long-neglected beauty thanks to a growing interest in life-sustaining gardens. Others are still commonly saddled with stereotypes, appearing most often in derogatory lists of “weeds” created for large-scale agriculture.
In an ongoing Humane Gardener series, #WeedsNotWeeds, I’m going to highlight both the native plants in the limelight and those in the still-maligned-light. Here are five to get us started.
New York Ironweed (Vernonia noveboracensis)
A plant frequently sold by native nurseries, the gorgeous ironweed wouldn’t normally top my list of species in need of defenders. But it didn’t take much research to learn why it was ever dubbed a “weed” in the first place: Cows and horses find it unpalatable, so it has an easy time spreading in pastures where farmers would prefer to grow grazing plants. But butterflies, bees, and birds need to eat, too. To provide a nonstop buffet from late summer into fall, add native ironweeds to your garden. In my meadow, ironweed thrives and reseeds among Joe Pye weed and native sunflower species.
Burnweed, Fireweed, Pilewort (Erechtites hieracifolia)
As its common 
names imply, this native plant colonizes burned or disturbed sites. In my yard, it has appeared in an abandoned vegetable garden, sprouting in the shadow of volunteer goldenrods. Though the tiny composite flowers are hard for us to discern, they’re delicious to bees large and small, as well as to wasps and flies. This isn’t so much a species you purchase—I’ve never seen it sold except in dried form for medicinal use—as one you let bloom where it plants itself in naturalized areas. For help with identification at different stages, check out these Name That Plant photos.
Jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)
Jewelweed never fails to remind me of my own ignorance—and of the fallibility of human language and perspective. Its spectacular flowers are a magnet for hummingbirds; bees and butterflies also visit. Unfortunately for those animals, when we moved into our home 16 years ago, I saw jewelweed growing along the back fence and insisted on removing it. As I extolled its beauty even while yanking it out, my husband tried to stop me from my militancy. But eventually he joined in after I showed him the name of the plant. Neither of us realized back then not to trust labels.
Though it grows throughout much of the U.S. and Canada in shady, moist areas, jewelweed has not come back in my yard. Last summer while walking up the street, I saw it repatriating a lot where a developer had clear-cut an eighth of an acre before abandoning his project a few years back. Sadly, by the time of my next walk, the jewelweed had been mowed down. The next time I see it there, I will collect a few seeds—a great way to give the population a protected home while also ensuring my new plants are already adapted to local conditions.
Smartweed (Polygonum pensylvanicum)
If you ask a duck, mourning dove or goose whether this is a valuable plant, they may be too busy nibbling to respond. Smartweed seeds also feed bobwhites, ring-necked pheasants, rails, mice, muskrats, raccoons, fox squirrels, and dozens of other species. Birds and other animals seek cover among the leaves. Last summer, after digging up turfgrass to plant native river oats (Chasmanthum latifolium), I discovered smartweed and Japanese stiltgrass moving in together around the edges. I trimmed down the stiltgrass to keep it from seeding and let the smartweed continue to proliferate. We’ll witness the next stage of this experiment when the weather warms.
Horseweed (Conyza canadensis) 
You can’t keep a good “weed” down. Some populations of this native plant have developed resistance to herbicides, including glyphosate, the primary ingredient in Roundup. The spraying of glyphosate on Midwestern corn and soy fields has been implicated in losses of the monarch butterfly’s only larval host plant, milkweed—which, like horseweed, grows in pastureland and on roadsides and disturbed sites.
It turns out that horseweed is also a friend to the monarch, providing an important nectar source during fall migrations. And it feeds butterfly and moth larvae, including beautiful caterpillars in the Cucullia genus. I like to think of horseweed’s persistence and refusal to stand down in the face of giant chemical companies as Mother Nature’s conspiracy to fight on behalf of all these interdependent species.
Though I’ve seen even native plant enthusiasts cast aspersions on this plant for its supposedly aggressive tendencies, it doesn’t persist indefinitely, instead gradually giving way to perennials. When horseweed popped up to keep my new Virginia roses company last summer, I cheered it on—and so did the monarch I saw visiting the plant in late summer. Viva la revolución!
What are your favorite #WeedsNotWeeds?
(Jewelweed photo by Will Heinz; all others by Nancy Lawson.)
I appreciate this email so much! I live in northern Minnesota where crops are so important. Native plants and windbreaks are destroyed; GMO rules. These weeds could be combined in the little towns as butterfly gardens. Use a few old fashioned hollyhocks with the weeds as a ground cover. Is there a national register to get seeds?
Hi Gail, thank you! Yes, you can get seeds for some of these — ironweed, jewelweed, and other species of smartweed — from Prairie Moon Nursery (prairiemoon.com), which is based in Minnesota. And they have so many more species that would grow well there.
You might be interested in a book I recently read — Farming with Native Beneficial Insects, published by the Xerces Society. It’s very accessible even for the average gardener or activist, with lots of interesting, short cases studies about the effectiveness of adding native hedgerows and pollinator plants near and between crops. It really makes the case for how this not only helps wildlife but improves yields.
“I won’t be the first or last to point out the irony of such a description sprouting from the minds of a species that has taken over the planet faster than any plant ever could.”
Amen, and to the great detriment of all others.
Yes, and I still hope we can turn the tide for at least some of them.
Wonderful article, thank you for the excellent information.
Thank you, Michelle!
I’m glad you included pilewort! No one ever seems to feature it. We have a small colony of it growing in one of the beds. I think the first year it was a few plants and then last year there were a few more.
I don’t know how well jewelweed transplants, but I have plenty and am more than happy to give you some!
Maybe we can photograph more of the tiny pollinators on our pileworts this year! I saw them but couldn’t get a good enough pic – they are so tiny. I think there is one little guy on the left of the photo in this blog, but it’s too blurry on that side to tell. I would love some jewelweed – thank you!
Hooray Nancy!!! You tell ’em, girl. Of course, most of the readers may already be your “choir”, but we all hope for an ever-expanding ripple effect. I LOVE your observation (quoted in Mary Finelli’s comment below) and Mary’s response. For human beings to become more educated about their options, to thoughtfully consider their motivations and the real impacts of their choices, and to cultivate compassion and celebration of diversity . . . you’re a significant contributor to that goal, Nancy. Thank you!
Thank you, Debbie! I’m so glad you felt this was helpful. Yes, it’s humans who wrought this destruction, and it’s only humans who can now fix it.
Hooray Nancy!!! You tell ’em, girl. Of course, most of the readers may already be your “choir”, but we all hope for an ever-expanding ripple effect. I LOVE your observation (quoted in Mary Finelli’s comment above) and Mary’s response. For human beings to become more educated about their options, to thoughtfully consider their motivations and the real impacts of their choices, and to cultivate compassion and celebration of diversity . . . you’re a significant contributor to that goal, Nancy. Thank you!
Nancy, I shared your excellent article and hope that many people read it. In my mind, there are no “weeds”, only a wonderfully rich and diverse variety of plants in Nature’s bounty.
I hope you are working on a book about this subject, because I s one the world sorely needs. Thanks for reminding us all to keep open minds.
Thanks so much for sharing it, David! It’s funny you should say that because I actually did just finish a manuscript! It is due for release next spring. There are many “weeds” mentioned in it. 🙂
Great! Please keep us posted on its publication. I’ll want a copy for my wife, an avid gardener but one still prone to pull too many “weeds”, in my opinion. Can’t wait!
Sure thing! It can be so hard to figure out what is what, especially when they just begin peeking out of the ground.
Thank you Nancy. I have pilewort but never knew what it was. I did not know it was native. I always let unknown plants grow and observe it’s use for insects and birds. I noticed that birds love pilewort seeds. It is so fun to watch them try to get the seeds from the top of the tall plant. I always let pilewort grow here since the birds like it.
I get horseweed here too. I thought it was non native and always removed it. Now that I know it is useful and native I will let it grow.
Hi Ellen! I didn’t know either until a couple of years ago. It’s one of the many things I assumed was invasive when I first saw it. It was so surprising to me to learn that monarchs nectar on horseweed, and then after reading that I actually saw it for myself!
Have you written about “weeds” in your books.? I find them fascinating and it is hard to find information on them unless you want to kill them.
Yes, but not in a “field guide” sort of way. I agree that it’s tough to find good info about a lot of them — many fall into a kind of no-man’s land. They are native but no appreciated as such, so when you search for native plant listings, you don’t often see them. Sometimes the only places that list info about them are ag-related sites that consider them a problem, as you say. I encounter the same issues when writing about some of our maligned wildlife — lots of info about how to kill them, not so much info about their natural histories and places in the world. So strange.
Where do you sell your books? I am not looking for a field guide. thanks
The first one is with the publisher – due out next spring. 🙂
awesome. Please post when it is available. It sounds like it will be great.
I don’t know if it’s just me or if perhaps everybody else experiencing issues with your blog.
It seems like some of thhe text within your content are running off the screen.
Can someone else please comment and let mme know if this is happening to them too?
This could be a issue with my internet browser because I’ve had this happen previously.
Many thanks
My favs are pokeberry/ pokeweed, evening primrose, goldenrod, and wild raspberry (not sure people would call this a weed, but it grows in many places and behaves like one). All of these make my wild garden very pretty (along with many others)
Hi Erik! You pretty much just described my garden! These are some of my favorites too — when they mingle together the sight is fantastic, as are the wild ones who come to feed and perch. <3