Crow’s Nest Guilty Pleasures: Weeds we love

By Daniel Barringer, Preserve Manager.

To be clear, we’re talking about the plant here, common mullein, Verbascum thapsus. It’s not native, it’s not usually planted, and like a weed it just shows up. But it doesn’t seem invasive in our region—there’s one here and one there but it’s not widespread. You might not want this biennial growing in a crack in your patio; it has a reputation of being able to crack concrete as it grows. Above, June 27 of this year, and below, July 20.

We like the plant because of its soft leaves and bold form. I did raise a few eyebrows among my colleagues for leaving this one here, especially since it’s kind of in front of the parking directional sign.