Hieracium was the first thing that came to my mind also. We have both native and introduced Hieraciums in northern Idaho. The introduced species are very invasive and are on our state's noxious weed list. Your photo does not look like either of these. If it is a native, hopefully invasiveness won't be a problem. It would be a good idea to have it identified to species when it blooms.

I'm not sure that "taking over the garden" is exactly how I'd describe it but it certainly can be a pest popping up all over the place......and not all that easy to remove as it has a bit of taproot, similar to dandelions. I also agree that there are so many other, less troublesome, more attractive plants to focus on or include in one's garden :-) And if not specified by species, the hieraciums are listed as Class A (least offensive) noxious weeds, with only a few species listed as Class B or C, requiring more stringent control measures. They don't call them hawkweeds for nothing!! LOL!

Hello, I'm new here, I guess this conversation is about a week old--but it interested me. I was thinking-- there is such a huge emphasis on trying to make things the way they were 'natively' or in the past when it comes to plants. Sometimes it seems almost as if planting anything perenial would be 'naughty' somehow. Funny, cuz to me, life isn't about anything if it isn't about change and adapting to whatever comes at you next. And that has been my experience all along. I kind of admire those plants that have made themselves at home in strange places. Also-- going back to the day the world began-- who knows what was native then? I live in a new construction area in North Dakota. The land around me is prairie--I have no idea if it is truly native--likely its been beet fields for awhile prior to my moving here, and was prairie long before that. There aren't exactly bison roaming nearby anymore either, but I do enjoy seeing the giant bunnies and I have found it fascinating to learn about the weather and widlife here in my new home. I am a wisconsin woodland transplant myself. For years I was happily used to the woodsy beauty of my old home--trilliums, jack in the pulpits etc.. Suddenly last fall I came to a place that is all flat, with bright sunshine and wind almost all the time. At first I really didn't know if I would like this. But when spring came and I began to smell the absolutely beautiful perfume in the air and hear all the birds singing--I was thrilled. Now I am hoping they will not cut down all the 'prairie/weeds' in our neighborhood where houses are popping up like weeds on every empty field, so I can keep on smelling and hearing and seeing them. Looking at the weeds here--I don't know how many are native but I'm not native either and I think we'll be happy together. I am considering putting a few of them in my garden--there's a couple of grasses I really like and I found a fabulous looking vetch with some kind of yellow rattle looking flower. I never thought I'd learn to love land that was flat as a pancake--but I like it here and am learning to appreciate the prairie. I hope I won't be too invasive though. ;-)Maryt

This stuff doesn't work, just gives a false sense of security. If you will pull the weeds (which you are doing anyway) before they make seeds, fewer seeds will be dropped to sprout in the future. Also, instead of waiting until pulling unwanted sprouts is a time-consuming chore, snatch them randomly whenever you walk by, as part of admiring your pretty garden. Letting them grow until it's a big chore is just being mean to yourself (and using more of your time.) Keep your garden mulched with actual mulch or leaves to help maintain control. You'll still have sprouts, nothing can prevent that, but there will be fewer, and the ones you get will pull out more easily and completely.