Forum home Plants

What is this? It’s popping up everywhere!

fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 372

Posts

  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,162
    Alliaria petiolata, Garlic Mustard, food plant of the Orange Tip Butterfly larvae. Biennial


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • fizzylizfizzyliz Posts: 372
    @nutcutlet ah ok thanks! I pulled quite a bit up as there was so much everywhere… wondering if I should’ve now 😬
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,113
    Maybe a good butterfly plant, but let it seed and you are talking of millions of plants. It is well established in the hedgerows here so I have no problem with removing everyone I see in the garden.
  • BlueBirderBlueBirder Posts: 212
    For weeds, I always think 'like for like' - e.g. if I pull up this plant, can I replace it with a garden plant which will help wildlife? Just my philosophy :) orange tip also feed on other plants including cuckoo flower (also known as mayflower and milkmaids smock). I'd say all butterfly food plants are worth thinking about before removing, as even common butterfly species are struggling. The orange tip is declining in the south of England.
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,315
    edited April 2022
    I'm with @Palustris I noticed one in my garden a few years ago - I'd never seen it anywhere before.
    Now it seems to be everywhere locally  - masses of it growing under hedges, on grass verges, gaps in paving.
    The still appear in my garden too.
    Easy to id and remove when they're small, but it has a long taproot as it matures and almost impossible to remove when it comes up in the middle of a perennial 😡
     
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
Sign In or Register to comment.