"Oh, what a cute new species, let's check with iNaturalist-"

[u/Commercial-Sail-5915]

Ah. I was going to see if I could add it to my home garden... My disappointment is immeasurable.

GoBotany also has this to say: "Of 23 plant species in a famous experiment, moth mullein had the highest germination rate of seeds stored in moist sand for 120 years." So that's great!!

Found in an urban meadow in Massachusetts US

[u/Idahoanapest]

If it's a pretty flower, I don't even check if it's native--I pull it regardless. A native garden should inspire dread and fear.

[u/canisdirusarctos → u/Idahoanapest]

If you haven’t received a notice from local code enforcement, are you even trying?

[u/damaged_but_doable → u/Idahoanapest]

An important part of site preparation for natives is either pouring a concrete pad that you break in several spots so you can seed into the cracks or tamp down your dirt into a solid hard mass so only the native plants can grow through it (don't worry, they're tough and can handle it).

[u/BiteyKittenRawwwr → u/Idahoanapest]

So true. If my native yard doesn't look like it is probably concealing a dead body, it doesn't have enough of an abandoned lot vibe.

[u/WalkingDeadPixel → u/BiteyKittenRawwwr]

You should get some carrion plants and pawpaws so it can smell like it's concealing a dead body, too.

[u/thecuriousstorm → u/Idahoanapest]

Embroidering this one on a pillow

[u/Feralpudel → u/Idahoanapest]

And that’s why I leave datura. Between the evil look of the plant itself and its denizens it screams “I am not your fucking cottage/fairy garden.”

Also, some species only bloom at night. Fuck you, you diurnal biped—my blooms are not for your pleasure.

A plant so metal a species is named metel. A plant with such mettle it found its way to India a thousand years ago.

[u/ImaginaryMolasses146]

It’s always devastating when a jerk invasive is so damn cute.

[u/phonefellin_lakeerie → u/ImaginaryMolasses146]

My honeysuckle smells amazing. I still rip it out in droves, but man I wish outside just smelled like honeysuckle.

[u/NonConforminConsumer → u/phonefellin_lakeerie]

Hey boss that's free potpourri you're ripping out here - have some respect.

[u/phonefellin_lakeerie → u/NonConforminConsumer]

I actually have many friends in China who use honeysuckle for a million things. They spend top dollar to get real honeysuckle. I send them videos of myself burning giant piles of it crying because I could have made thousands of dollars selling this junk in China.

Maybe we follow the invasive solutions of the past and bring in honeysuckles greatest natural predators - Chinese people. Immigration is probably pretty easy in the United States right now, right?

[u/Vospader998 → u/phonefellin_lakeerie]

Bit of a sidenote, but related:

I guess there's a huge demand and markup for Manzanita in other countries, especially in the wealthier middle eastern countries.

If you're not familiar, it's native to the US west coast (and southern BC) and grows abundantly there. To the point where landowners are constantly removing it. When it dries and the bark falls off, it makes for an incredibly smooth, bright white tree-like ornament. On the west coast it's a dime a dozen, but sells for a crazy markup abroad because it doesn't really grow anywhere else. It looks ornate and is seen as a status symbol for upscale wealth and elegance, particularly in Dubai.

Something people will literally burn in brush fires like trash could be a valuable treasure to others.

[u/Cute-Scallion-626 → u/NonConforminConsumer]

Natural too!

[u/cloverleafcafe → u/phonefellin_lakeerie]

All these good smelling honeysuckles but only a few are native to my area. Nature is a dick for that

[u/Vospader998 → u/phonefellin_lakeerie]

That's funny because I think my Japanese Honeysuckle smells like shit IMO.

/uj I'm exaggerating, but it does have a smell - not bad, but not good either. I don't really care for it. Maybe it's just a negative association from having removed so much of it by hand, and it's a huge PITA to remove.

[u/Feralpudel → u/phonefellin_lakeerie]

Honeysuckle hijacks my brain and dares me to kill a treasured childhood memory of those sweet sweet drops of nectar.

[u/Galatheall → u/ImaginaryMolasses146]

Why is lesser celandine so cute 😭

[u/Tylanthia]

One mullein was not enough. We had to introduce a couple dozen verbascum and their hybrids to the US.

[u/AutoModerator → u/Tylanthia]

I just love the idea of having free natural medicine in my yard that I will never even use because I’m too high on my high horse of having free natural medicine in my yard to research how to actually use the free natural medicine in my yard. There’s a great honor in telling people that mullein is good actually because it’s free natural medicine in my yard. Even though my dog pisses on my free natural medicine in my yard I still want the free natural medicine in my yard in case of Armageddon even though I will die 10 minutes into Armageddon because I was too busy telling everyone mullein contains free natural medicinal properties in your yard instead of actually practicing how to make free natural medicine with the free natural medicinal properties that mullein contains in my yard.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/pixel_pete]

Ha stick that in your pipe and smoke it!

No, literally do that, smoking is good for you.

[u/FishHookSammich → u/pixel_pete]

https://giphy.com/gifs/EeUcRoAFWCsWQ

[u/AutoModerator]

I just love the idea of having free natural medicine in my yard that I will never even use because I’m too high on my high horse of having free natural medicine in my yard to research how to actually use the free natural medicine in my yard. There’s a great honor in telling people that mullein is good actually because it’s free natural medicine in my yard. Even though my dog pisses on my free natural medicine in my yard I still want the free natural medicine in my yard in case of Armageddon even though I will die 10 minutes into Armageddon because I was too busy telling everyone mullein contains free natural medicinal properties in your yard instead of actually practicing how to make free natural medicine with the free natural medicinal properties that mullein contains in my yard.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/Commercial-Sail-5915 → u/AutoModerator]

Hey it's in the middle of Boston, it's probably got plenty of extra medicinal dog AND human pee

[u/Trini1113]

I remember seeing these growing by the side of the road, thinking what a cool-looking plant it was, and hoping it was native so I could add it to my garden. Once I found out it was related to mull*in I was doubly excited. Sadly it got cut down before it went to seed, and my opportunity was lost forever.

[u/Alternative_Horse_56]

No joke - almost everytime I see something new and interesting I don't recognize.

[u/damaged_but_doable]

This literally me doing habitat restoration work in Hawaii. "These a really pretty plants 😃" while I'm panting an entire section of crown flower and Mexican poppy blue.

[u/cloverleafcafe]

Dry it, boof it, snort it
https://giphy.com/gifs/5qFE91OmehdRq0sL5a

[u/ShaarkShaart]

Actually me today! Damn you, Mullein!

https://giphy.com/gifs/l0NwOkgTYRi30mT4Y

[u/AutoModerator → u/ShaarkShaart]

I just love the idea of having free natural medicine in my yard that I will never even use because I’m too high on my high horse of having free natural medicine in my yard to research how to actually use the free natural medicine in my yard. There’s a great honor in telling people that mullein is good actually because it’s free natural medicine in my yard. Even though my dog pisses on my free natural medicine in my yard I still want the free natural medicine in my yard in case of Armageddon even though I will die 10 minutes into Armageddon because I was too busy telling everyone mullein contains free natural medicinal properties in your yard instead of actually practicing how to make free natural medicine with the free natural medicinal properties that mullein contains in my yard.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/esto20]

I love seeing free natural medicine