Three years ago someone here ID'd this weed for me. At that time, I was not familiar with it and it was relatively newly established in my area. Once I read about it, I started being very diligent about pulling it whenever I see it. Despite my on-going diligence, I keep having more and more of it! It is winning!
Just alerting people - be on the lookout for this one and don't let it get ahead of you!
Strange thing about this weed. I have had it plentiful in my garden/flower beds, and I would pull it up, but while doing it, my little dachsund would come next to me and nudge my hands out of the way and EAT the weed. Don't know why he likes it so much. I googled it at the time ( a few years ago) and found nothing that said it was toxic for dogs, so I leave a few for him to eat. Keeps him from eating my zinnias!
interesting! I have never seen anything eat it, not my dog or the cats, not insects or slugs or any of the many leaf eaters around. Nothing around here is adapted to use it. The cats sometimes eat greens, mostly grassy stuff, even though they can't digest it and it will make them throw up, just to help get rid of hair balls.
That's why so many of these imports are so invasive, because they don't have any natural pests/ predators/ diseases in their new locations.
The mulberry weed keeps popping up in new locations in far parts of the yard from the front flower bed where I first noticed it. I guess those seeds must carry on the wind.
The cat doesn't want it, but I keep a low planter of wheat grass planted for her. She'll munch on it often, the dog doesn't want it. I have a friend who plants some for his cat and both the cat AND the dog eat it. There is also something that comes up under the bird feeders that the cat will eat, but I don't know what it is, I just see her chewing on something there sometimes.
My doxie/poodle mix LOVES this plant! She can eat up to 10 leaves in a setting. I suppose she's ok - has been doing it all summer once every week or so. :/
