Weeds Have Rights Too !

[ScottBakula]

We , the weed collective have decided that its time to stand up for our weedy rights !
In particular at this time of the year all of our brethren are mercilessly up rooted and poisoned for no reason other than someone has decided that we are inferior to the flowers that humans like.

We bring nature back to derelict area's like neglected road side verges , abandoned gardens, cracks in paving stones , gaps in gutters and the brave ones even go up on to rooftops and live in the chimney stacks and gutters.

Nature isn't meant to be regimented with flowers in neat rows and groups so we come along and add a bit of normal back to your garden and what do you do ? You poison or up-root us . Which also can cause problems to your beloved plants.

We understand that you want things to look pretty, but please leave us a bit of space too.

We create just as much oxygen as your expensive roses and lilies , we feed bees , wasps and butterflies along with lots of other bugs.

We are just flowers that humans have decided they don't want , and that makes us sad.
Please help the weed collective by leaving us a little bit of your land and we promise that we will help to look after your environment.

( just incase nobody notices this is a bit tounge in cheek , but I do think that all plants help our environment and bees don't care if its a dandelion or prize rose that they get there pollen from)

"Hello lickle weed", you will understand this if over a certain age and watched the puppets show "Bill and Ben. I had a wildlife area around the little orchard at the bottom of my garden.it took almost 6 years to get going and a staggering amount of money and hard graft! Now it's rugosas . plenty for the pollinators, some weeds are NOT welcome, when they ruin my veg plot. The Bindweed choking my climbing beans. I do grow types of native wild flowers some folk refer to as weeds.

@kinkytoes my sister and I used to gather groundsel for our rabbits and guinea pigs when we were kids. It always makes me a bit nostalgic when I see it which is good cause I have some out the front which I shall take to my zombie cannibal caterpillars. @ScottBakula get worried if I don't respond. The caterpillars may have eschewed groundsel, ragwort, and cannibalism in favour of eating the cats and me 😬

@Nannyfannybanny flobadob little weeeed 😁. That's a lot of time and effort but I bet its worth it.
Like others on this thread we don't think flowers should be ousted just because someone decided its not desirable. ( but some can pack their roots and bugger off ).

@RumNotRun you and your cats need to sleep with one eye open !

ScottBakula, haha, showing your age!

Tbf it's a bit before my time , but my dad really liked them along with muffin the mule. So we got quotes / jokes from him about them from time to time.
I'm more of a flintstones and scooby kinda gal

Well Ive moved locations...Im in the Southern part of the US now and saw some swallowtail butterflies flitting to and fro. Not sure what these caterpillars like like, but they are hanging out on a lantana plant.I javent looked up.the different sex of them.

I went into the garden yesterday to check on the caterpillars and ragwort. All of the ragwort, even the solitary plants that have popped up here and there, are stripped bare. There are also no caterpillars to be seen! I hope that they all got nice and plump and are now beginning their transformation. Fingers crossed that next year I have lots of cinnabar moths!

@IdrisElbow , yes it does a bit , your right bees and wasps adore them .
@Sweetpea1532 That's a amazing butterfly it almost doesn't look real.
Your lucky , getting to travel around the country means you must see a wide variety of plants and bugs .

I have got them growing near work , is it just me or does it look like it's got its hands / fronds / leaves up in surrender? 😀

Yes,it does @ScottBakula or else raising its hands and saying 'pick me, pick me'

Yes, I'll have to scout round the neighbourhood and report back on some Southern weeds.
There is a very invasive one called Kudzu.
Brought from East Asia. It is a vine and grows 12 inches in one day
It can grows over trees, houses, electric power poles, etc. It's unstoppable! It has lovely unusual purple flowers that smell of grapes. Yum! Can be used to make jelly. Attached is a photo from the internet...I'll try to get an actual photo but Im afraid that if i get too close it may reel me in and I'll never be heard from again!
As a wee child, I thought Id help our garden by planting a cutting Id picked from the empty lot down the street. My father almost had a heartattack when he found my little garden of kudzu...fortunately, he discovered it before it established itself...I was only tryng to help beautify the garden..jeez !

Good lord @Sweetpea1532 12 inches a day ! That's incredible, it's trying for world domination 😲.
That would make just a few jars of jelly ( jam ??) 😀.
If you see some irl please don't get to close , I'd miss you .

Them little thistle type plants have now gone to seed and are fluffy little beasties.

Those thistles will be great food for goldfinches @ScottBakula

I spotted a new weed in my “lawn” today. Think it may be lesser trefoil? Whatever it is, it’s popular with the tiniest blue butterflies I’ve ever seen. I’ve consulted my butterfly field guide and still can’t work out what it is. It’d really help if butterflies sat still occasionally!

This is lovely thread and very informative. I have evening primrose which just invited itself into my front garden to join the other volunteer plants which may be known as weeds by other less tolerant types. I also have some lilac colour daily things and lots of Japanese anemones which I did not actually plant. Also the usual dandelions. Brambles, however, do need to sod off really.

@RaininSummer , volunteer plants , I like that name a lot 😆.
How's everybody's weeds , caterpillars and butterflies doing ?
Most plants have gone to seed near me now , there is going to be a huge abundance of rose hips near one of the places that I work.
I'd love to make rose hip jelly again but they are right next to a very busy road so I will have to look elsewhere.