I think you are on the right track. I have a very similar weed, which is an Artemesia but I forget the last name. It is commonly called Biennial Wormweed or Wormwood. Mine doesn't normally have as many or such large leaves coming out of the seed stalk, but otherwise looks identical. The plant carries a distinctive scent, although I find it hard to describe. Maybe some elements of marigolds and some of sagebrush. It grows on disturbed ground. It germinates in the fall and forms a rosette, then takes off in the spring, usually looking like nothing more than a pin head in the spring when it starts to grow. It will also germinate during the growing season and grow, but just forms a rosette until the next year. You can control it easily in the fall with tillage or herbicides. In the early spring, tillage will also work easily, but herbicides rapidly lose effectiveness as it gets bigger although glyphosate will continue to work. Pulling a plant of the size you've got will be difficult unless the soil is very wet. The lower stem will be like wood.

Yes, a weedy pest in many lawns, but it also has been considered a valuable medicinal herb, and is edible as well (if not exactly delicious! LOL)

Thanks for the further input! There are a few reasons I think I'll get rid of them. One, this isn't MEANT to be an informal spot, lol! But the bed has been neglected and gotten overgrown, and I'm trying to reclaim it. I do leave certain reseeders in for fillers, but this bed has gotten full of them and I need to remove many of them to put in other plants. Two, they aren't doing anything. Like I said, they look exactly as they did in May. I have very little sun in my garden and want to fill it with plants I want and plants that perform. If they are perennial rudbeckia they should have flowered this year, no? Three, while I will remove most of them, something tells me they'll be back and I'll have another opportunity to decide whether to keep them or not! The photo shows about one square foot of a bed that is at least 20 by 10 feet, and there are MANY of these seedlings, so some will certainly be missed, or roots will be left, etc. So I'm sure there will be some next year too! And actually, when it comes down to it, because I do have such a hard time ripping out seedlings, I'll probably end up replanting one or two in a suitable spot and see what happens.... Thank you everyone. As always, your input is much appreciated! :) Dee

So, a bit of a follow up. I went for a walk this morning, first time in a long time, and observed the roadside plants. There IS ragweed there, although it is greatly outnumbered by goldenrod in particular, and other things. Actually, it's kind of overwhelming how many other things lol. Bittersweet, poison ivy, japanese knotweed, garlic mustard, grasses, grapevine, wild raspberry(?), virginia creeper, sassafras, and lots of other stuff I can't identify. Anyway, two things I noted about the ragweed. It's not nearly as tall as the stuff that was in my garden. In some spots I think this is because the city comes and mows down some of the roadside stuff every so often. But in other spots they don't, so not sure why it's shorter there. Also, I was kind of surprised at how close to the asphalt the ragweed was growing. It was anywhere from literally on the edge (if the road was another inch wider the ragweed would be buried) to about 12 inches in. No further back than that. I wondered if it likes the heat and more sun closer to the road. I could start a new thread for the following but its not that important. Just thought I'd throw this out there. Anyone know what this is? It's about six feet tall. Sorry, didn't get a close-up of the buds This was kind of nice to see - although I guess from what little I know of RoS, they are aggressive if not invasive so maybe not so nice Is this some kind of milkweed, or maybe joe pye weed? Lastly, in the vein of how things take over, this used to be a field, with a small tree in the center. It always reminded me of a photo of a Civil War battlefield. It amazes me how overgrown it is and how QUICKLY it became overgrown, in just a few years. It's so full one can't even get a sense of how big this field is now. I took it from two angles trying to show it. The tree is gone - I think it was completely broken down by the growth covering it. The road I stood on slopes down to a ditch, and there is a stone wall, believe it or not, which is totally covered by the grapevine along the bottom of the photo. I don't even know much of what's in here, other than some sassafras, tons of grapevine, and some jewelweed. Darn, the mention of the jewelweed made me realize I accidentally deleted the best photo - one of some jewelweed and I think what is helianthus tuberosus. Love these little yellow blooms and love to see them along the road. I'll have to get another photo. :) Dee