Bull Thistle – Cirsium vulgare
This factsheet will help you identify bull thistle, a common weed in pastures and other settings.
Weeds & Invasive Plants
Weeds and invasive plants can out-compete our desired plants, reduce the attractiveness of our landscapes, and even cause physical harm to people and animals. Identifying and understanding the life cycle of weeds can be important in determining the best control methods and protecting our native landscapes.
Featured Articles
Common Weed Seedlings of the North Central States
This detailed, illustrated guide will help you identify 54 of the most common problem weed species in the north central region of the United States. It is divided into two main sections: grass and grass-like weeds and broadleaf weeds.
Wild Parsnip
Wild parsnip (Pastinaca sativa) is an aggressive Eurasian member of the carrot family that grows in sunny areas and tolerates dry to wet soil types. Very invasive, it can overtake roadsides and fields. Contact with this plant can cause severe skin blisters and permanent scarring. Learn how to identify and control this invasive plant in this factsheet.
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Articles
Blackseed Plantain – Plantago rugelii
This factsheet will help you identify blackseed plantain – Plantago rugelii, a common weed in pastures and other settings.
Biennial Wormwood – Artemisia biennis
This factsheet will help you identify biennial wormwood, a common weed in pastures and other settings.
Barnyardgrass – Echinochola crusgalli
This factsheet will help you identify barnyardgrass – Echinochola crusgalli, a common weed in pastures and other settings.
Biennial Thistle Comparison
This factsheet will help you identify bull thistle, musk thistle and plumeless thistle, common weeds in pastures and other settings.
Common and Glossy Buckthorns
The Management of Invasive Plants in Wisconsin series explains how to identify invasive plants, including common and glossy buckthorns, and provides common management options.
Mulches for Home Gardens and Plantings
Boost your garden’s production with mulches. This publication shows when to use organic mulches, like bark or leaves, and synthetic mulches, like plastic sheets, and teaches how to apply them.
Poison Ivy
Poison Ivy is a perennial woody plant that grows as either a low shrub or a climbing vine. Poison ivy is native to North America and is common in Wisconsin, growing in pastures, roadside ditches, fence rows, wooded forests, beaches and parks. Contact with poison ivy causes skin rashes, blisters and other allergic reactions. Learn identification and control in this factsheet.
Milkweed (Ornamental Plants Toxic to Animals)
To increase monarch populations, people are increasingly planting ornamental types of milkweed and encouraging common milkweed to grow wherever it occurs in uncultivated areas. While milkweed is beneficial to monarch populations, people need to be aware that it is toxic and can be lethal to animals, particularly horses and other equines.
Wild cucumber invading area with Vijai Pandian (August 26, 2019)
There is a timing for all plants including weeds to be conspicuous at a certain season in natural landscape. In autumn, one such attractive weed that has begun to catch attention in southeast Wisconsin is wild cucumber (echinocystis lobata). Native to Wisconsin, wild cucumber is a fast-growing … Link to full article.
Dodder, Cuscuta spp.
Tangles of pale yellow or bright orange strings running amok over other plants may remind you of science fiction tales, but there are actually real plants that grow like this. The nearly leafless, stringlike stems of dodder can be seen occasionally on a wide variety of plants in different habitats. Learn more about the biology of these parasitic plants that depend on their host plants for nutrition in this article…
Jewelweed, Impatiens capensis
With showy orange flowers, jewelweed comes into its own in late summer and fall. Growing in dense patches in moist, shady habitats, this native plant offers nectar for hummingbirds and other pollinators. Usually grown just as a wild plant, it can be added to rain gardens or to suppress weeds in appropriate areas. Learn more about this self-seeding annual in this article…
