What’s growing in my milkweed garden?

This flower just popped up in my milkweed garden. What is it?

Sorry for the delay in this reply, however, in case you experience this growth again this year, we figured it would be better for us to answer later than never!

The plant in your photo from last summer looks like a hairy willow-herb, which, according to our retired naturalist Judy Bradt-Barnhart, “is an aggressive weed that can take over a garden like it did at Big Creek Park’s Meyer Center a few years ago. The seed pods are explosive, too, so it can spread quickly throughout an area.”

– Naturalist Dottie Drockton

The Midwest Invasive Plant Network categorizes hairy willow-herb as an invasive plant. I could try to define this, but I don’t think I can beat the one they give: “Invasive plants…encroach upon and severely threaten natural plant communities. They spread aggressively, crowd out native plants and create monocultures that threaten the habitats of native wildlife.”

Should you see this weed again, you may want to click here for a great resource from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources that talks about controls to remove this from your yard including physical, chemical and preventative measures.

Thank you for your question!

– Naturalist Karie Wheaton