I prefer to call them creeping thistle - they are not native and does not come from Canada. Chicory is still rare enough in Minnesota - I hardly seen any, mostly in the Lake Minnetonka Area while Creeping Thistle is much too common. Bull Thistle usually is in very low numbers less than 5 per 1/4 acre yard is not unusual thought as stubborn as usual, when their flower stalks doesn't form, they remains a perennial not a biennial.

On locating photographs, this does closely resemble a paper mulberry. Every aspect of the plant fits appropriately. However, I have never seen any berries on any of these in 2 years. Also, the affected states don't pass west of the Mississippi, and I'm in California. The soil type, climate, and growing place is all wrong!! At least now I can KILL IT!! I think I'll put in an avocado tree... Thanks very much for your help maifleur!!

Gardengal48 - I looked up Solanum viarum. The leafy parts are similar, having thorns. But I wonder if I should be seeing any of the "fruit" growth yet (or if I'm just pulling them before they reach that level of maturity). Another point of note, the root system of Solanum viarum appears to be a (what I would call) ball root system. I just dug one up that had a singular root stem with about 6 branches (straight up, none were branching out) that was about 10 inches deep. I should mention that the root snapped off at ten inches, there was more deeper. But being I am in north Texas, we have this black clay about 3 inches below the surface. Making the act of pulling any root... tedious to say the least. In any regard, I will pick up some Glyphosate and treat the affected areas. I'm not worried so much about it killing the Bermuda in those locations (as it is Bermuda and grows back in fairly quickly). However, I wonder if I should be concerned about run off. Since I water my yard about 3 times a week - should I hold off on watering until this nuisance is eradicated?

I am not sure we have a major chickweed/oxalis problem. We have some clover but it isn't my main enemy. There seems to be a profusion of dandelions and other leafy weeds I haven't identified yet, and also some thistle. There is something creeping with serrated leaves that resembles a strawberry plant (but I know it isn't) in the back corner I haven't photographed as it's been a mud pit back there from a week of rain. There is a chance the soil where the pool was is a little sandier and less nutrient rich than the rest of the yard since most likely there was a lot of sterile sand put under the liner (assuming it was installed correctly). My proposed next step is to get the herbicide Nicole mentioned this weekend and apply it, as we're about to come into a warm sunny spell on Monday (72 and sunny all week) and I know the weeds will love that...any objections to this plan? I don't think I al going to fight the crabgrass fight just yet but I gotta get these broadleafs out of here.