👉👉👉👉 Learn more about the Backyard Ecology Community: www.backyardecology.net/community/ 👈👈👈👈 🌸🌸🌸🌸 Video all about native violets: ruclips.net/video/3_NmVDrAdUU/видео.html 🌸🌸🌸🌸 🍓🍓🍓🍓 Video about native strawberries and the mock strawberry: ruclips.net/video/ARD3xj5Ewvo/видео.html 🍓🍓🍓🍓 🌼🌼🌼🌼 Video about the fleabanes: ruclips.net/video/iPLXE8zvWQw/видео.html 🌼🌼🌼🌼 🌾🌾🌾🌾 Blog on No Mow May: www.backyardecology.net/should-i-mow-my-yard-in-may-the-no-mow-may-debate/ 🌾🌾🌾🌾 🌻🌻🌻🌻 Blog on interval mowing: www.backyardecology.net/mow-your-yard-less-frequently/ 🌻🌻🌻🌻
Very nice video! You covered a lot of the most common things seen, which I think can be more helpful to more people than just covering the natives. The common sense approach to the rankings makes it easier to understand as well. Like all of your videos, I got a lot out of this one!
Great video! I really did like the format. You covered all of the really common weeds in my lawn other than buttercups. I’d love to see a part two or another video of this format!
The one I get that I have a ton of nostalgia for is this little blue guy that i think is a type of speedwell. They carpet certain patches of the lawn right around when the violets start to bloom and don't come back after our first mow. There aren't many non-natives I have much of a fondness for, but those always make me so happy to see and have a strong association with Springtime for me
Really helpful to see your process for scoring and ranking the plants. One suggestion: on your scorecard you might consider flipping the yes/no box for the invasive row. This would put all the “Pros” on the left, and all the “Cons” on the right. Better for visual communication. Absolutely agree with your common sense approach for ranking. We have such a huge list of tasks, it helps to have a process for prioritizing.
I moved into a typical non native formal landscape that had a pond with everything manacured. I turned the pond natural, I reduced the lawn and created new arborist chip mulch beds, left the leaves, planted alot of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Every time i remove a non native i do it after its bloomed and then i replace it with a native. Slowly removing and replacing everything non native. I grow my own plants also, some from native local ecotype seeds. Its rewarding. It also reminds me of Pokemon just watching a collecting them all.
That is awesome! It is so cool watching a piece of land transform. I totally get the Pokemon reference! We have a small native plants nursery and try to grow as many local ecotypes as we can.
This video seemed to get a lot of attention! Great educational video for people to learn more about the good and bad plants in an average yard. You're really reaching people! I always learn something from your videos!
Very interesting! I enjoyed the Tier rating. Have you considered doing a video about natives beneficial for birds? I like to feed them seeds from plants because there's too many wild creatures a bird feeder would invite into my yard.
Thanks! I did one about overall strategies to attract birds which can be seen here: ruclips.net/video/ITHgy8xhIV0/видео.html I also try to include what benefits for birds the plants in my more focused species and plant groups videos have.
Doesnt matter how good or bad creeping charlie is, its going to be the entirety of my side yard because the neighbor has it and it was already here when I bought the place. At least I was able to get it out of the garden right next to the lawn and have been able to keep it out. Its nice to see violets are so beneficial because I have so many violets. They just appeared here and I looked them up, saw that they were native and pretty and let them grow. There is a section of my yard thats about 200 square feet thats basically all violets. Im glad they are taking over because almost everything else I plant there dies for some reason but the violets are thriving. I also have a lot in my other back garden. I wish I could stick to natives only but its a little tricky when I have to stick with plants that are safe for dogs and, for most of my yard, good in shade.
Love the tier list!! You hit almost everything I’ve seen pop up en mass in my yard! I have a mix of good and bad - I have a bunch of fleabane m but I need to get the ground ivy and mock strawberries under control
I always like tier lists, so bring em on. This was quite helpful and timely. I moved into a new to me rental house in mid-April. It has tons of plants that most people around here would consider weeds. I've been trying to figure out what to pull/cut (massive job) and what to keep. I had been pulling fleabane that wasn't in bloom without knowing what it was. Then I ID'ed it with the Picture This app and learned how useful it is to pollinators. So I let a whole bunch of it grow tall and flower. I have also been leaving the ground-ivy/gill-over-the-ground alone, but now I may pull it. Though I have seen a bumblebee working it assiduously. But there's a native that has to go -- yeah, poison ivy. Thanks for this video.
Glad you liked the video! Ground ivy is a really nasty invasive - some pollinators will use it, but they will also use a ton of better stuff. The big thing with ground ivy is it often ends up being the only thing left once it gets going.
Great video! Although one correction is there is a specialist that feeds young with Dutch white clover pollen. Calliopsis Andreniformis has also been observed collecting and feeding nonnative pollen to its young, which is important to note because Calliopsis Andreniformis only feeds its brood pollen from legumes. This information is also stated in chapter 8 of a book called Our Native Bees by Paige Embry.
The eastern miner bee, Calliopsis andrenifromis, is a common bee in eastern NA. While a pollen specialist on legumes, it is a generalist within that group. While they will visit white clover, they will also gather pollen from a large assortment of lawn plants. If they relied solely on Trifolium pollen I would have bumped up white clover a bit.
I LOVE the tier list format! It really helps to know the range of impacts that plants can have in our environment. I wouldn't mind other types of graphs or charts where applicable. I learned that ground ivy is not a good plant for our environment here in the USA. I didn't realize it was allelopathic. I always found it charming, but I'll do my best to replace it with something like our beloved native violets. Our yard is being taken over by invasive bittersweet among other nasties. We also have a huge patch of the dandelion-like cat's ears (Hypochoeris radicata), also not native.
Thanks! I go into more depth on the plant species in my other videos. I tried to keep this one focused on the tier list criteria to help it move along. Invasive bittersweet is one tough invasive to deal with.
I see such a variety of insects feeding on Poison Hemlock flowers (Conium maculatum) -- delicate wasps, bees, flower flies, and more. I'd love an evaluation of it, like you did with the other weeds in this video. I know there are other issues with it, but the insects sure seem to prefer their flowers to so many others. Tier lists are fun.
Poison hemlock is a horrible invasive capable of forming dense, large monocultures and should be controlled wherever it pops up. Yes, some pollinators use it, but they use many plants that are absolutely horrible for the ecosystem. Hemlock often gets use because it is one of the only option left after it invades an area. Additionally, hemlock has zero wildlife value - nothing eats it. There is a reason I have done 3 videos all about how to control poison hemlock.
@@BackyardEcology yes, I understand all its negative aspects. I just wondered about its pollen quality, given the pollinator diversity and density I see on them, even when there are other species flowering in the area.
@@HaphazardHomesteadI have never seen any reference to the quality of hemlock pollen. The nectar and pollen in hemlock flowers is easy to access and the species that are drawn to it are generalist foragers - they go for what is easiest to get. They would switch to other plants instantly if hemlock wasn't around. The big drawback is all those pollinators are just helping the hemlock to spread.
@@BackyardEcologyThanks for that info. I think the highway mowing crews help with the spread of all that poison hemlock, too, lol. It's a problem plant for sure. You've got me interested in keeping track of some pollinator-plant interactions on iNaturalist now, so good work! Enjoy your backyard ecology!
@@HaphazardHomestead You are welcome! The mow crews mowing it when it is in late flower doesn't help for sure. I love looking through iNat pics and seeing what pollinators and critters are using plants!
I have been messing around with backyards for decades and find it very rewarding. My back yards are alive and it's great. Your list and reasoning is very good but for me the dandelion goes much much higher on the list due to seed value. The value is the seed drawing in high numbers of gold finches that feed on the seed. The value of the plant for me goes something like this, it is a good green for me, it provides a visual pleasure, it provides for pollinators and it provides feed for birds and rabbits....lol just saying
I limited this video to purely pollinator benefits of lawn weeds. Wanted to keep it as streamlined as possible. I may do another one ranking lawn flowers for birds.
That's interesting and helpful to know about the benefit of the seeds. I wonder though, how much of a benefit that really is given that most birds heavily rely on bugs and grubs for food.
@@ClaytonDeweyVideos During the nesting season birds need a ton of insects - caterpillars are a huge part of the diet that makes baby birds grow. But there are birds that also depend on seeds - finches and sparrows are two examples of bird groups that rely heavily on seeds.
Great video! If you do a part 2, lawn weeds common to the central plains are Prostrate Spurge (Euphorbia prostrata)/Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) [both native to parts of the us] and Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) [non-native] and Blackseed plantain (Plantago rugelii) [native].
Ground ivy and mock strawberries are ground hugging creeping plants that produce flowers and seeds close to the ground so they thrive and increase with mowing. Not mowing or mowing less frequently might allow taller plants to compete with them.
In theory it should work, but we mow very infrequently and the mock strawberry just keeps on creeping. It takes some rather aggressive, perennial natives like Canada goldenrod to finally smother it out. In most suburban yards it will persist. Ground ivy can limit other plant growth and tends to win once established if not removed.
Ragwort is poisonous to horses but it is the main plant to sustain the cinnabar moth. Dandelion may not be high in pollen but seasonally it is often the first nectar available, along with henbit & deadnettles, for the early bumblebees. Chickweed is a very nutritious & can be used in salads as an alternative to water cress.
There are tons of plants blooming at the time of the dandelions and even before they bloom. They are way over stated as a pollinator plant. In eastern north America many species of trees and shrubs are blooming in the late winter and early spring and are the major source of nectar and pollen for our native bees and honeybees. The ragwort that is toxic to horses and other livestock and a host to the cinnabar moth (a non-native species in North America) is the tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris, which is also a non-native invasive species. Although it looks similar to the ragworts in the genus Packera they are very different plants.
Love fleabanes, hate ground ivy. Any tips for eliminating it? The only thing that has worked so far is to let taller plants choke it out, and so to that end I have several hundred Rudbeckia triloba, most between 1.5 to 2 meters high.
Ground ivy is one of the tougher invasives to control as it resprouts if roots are left when pulling it. If you can let more aggressive plants choke it out that will work eventually.
Does anyone offer seed packets that include the top-tier pollinators? I'm working on a wood next to me that was taken over by English Ivy. I can mow down the ivy and there is some white clover, which the bees love, that I could encourage, but I'd like to also have some other good replacements.
Putting together perfect mixes is a hard thing to do since what plants would work best in a particular area depends on the conditions of that area and the goals of person planting them. One size fits all mixes seldom work well.
While a varied community of plants is wonderful there are things that can be bad when in the mix. Ground ivy is a good example - low pollinator value and zero wildlife value.
Great video and I learned a lot. For those “weeds” that did not make the cut, I always wonder why settlers came over with their coveted plants and introduced them to new countries. There must have been some value to them. I always like to check the medicinal properties of said weed, if there are any, before hucking it out. For example, as many know, dandelion has a powerhouse of medicinal properties - from liver cleanser to cancer curer (unlike the large corporations still lobbying for money for the last 100 years, presumably looking for a cure, but still not finding one, wonder why?) I also wonder why the huge campaign to kill every dandelion in sight. Maybe they are a threat to the $$. Lots of fantastic plants out there called weeds by …..Sheep sorrel has this medicinal claim as well, burdock….
Many plants were introduced by accident - they just ended up being in the things the settlers brought. Some were introduced as a food source, and many were introduced as ornamentals. While many invasive plants do have some medicinal qualities, so do a huge number of our native plants. When it comes to plants that are invasive I would rather have our native plants that support the native pollinators and wildlife than an invasive.
I'm curious about the edibility(to humans) of some of these that you didn't specifically mention. While that's not part of the criteria for this tier ranking, one of the reasons I like to keep dandelions & wood sorrel* around, for example, is their edibility. *and we do have a native wood sorrel in New England! We also get quite a number of ranunculus/buttercups, & hawkweeds, orange "paintbrush" hawkweed, in particular, popping up in lawns left unmown for a bit. Completely aside, have you made any videos addressing the horror that is black swallow wort...? 😥
A lot of the lawn "weeds" are edible violets, bittercress, chickweed, and others. I haven't done a video on swallowwort yet - its not one I deal with in KY so I am not too familiar with it other than knowing what it is and that it can be a pain to control.
Didn’t see the three that have taken over my lawn since I stopped using herbicides. Black medic creeping charlie and bind weed. Everything wants to invade my garden beds unless I am constantly vigilant. Not sure how I feel about that….but not happy for sure 😵💫
Creeping Charlie is in the video - I used another name for it, ground ivy. I'll likely make another video like this as there were a ton of plants that could have made this list.
Dandelions are considered "non-native" as opposed to invasive since they're not poised to take over, and they have many benefits to lots of native species (and us). Also they're rarely seen in non-disrupted habitats. So no need to chase them off.
While dandelions are used by some native species they aren't the greatest thing for them - their pollen is actually quite low in quality. I don't really worry about them in a lawn type setting but I don't try to encourage them either. Much better plants - both native and non-native than the dandelion for pollinators.
This channel covers the eastern United States and parts of southern eastern Canada, although this video would apply to a good chunk of the western U.S. also.
No mow may is bad because you destroy the wildlife and plants at the end when you start mowing again... also the grass smothers the weeds as it flowers
No Mow May doesn't work as it is a set time period and doesn't work for all locations. Periodic mowing has actually been shown to benefit pollinators when dealing with a turf grass setting that has forbs interspersed within it. There are plants (and critters that rely on them) that actually thrive with disturbance.
Mow half as much and produce half as much pollution. You also destroy the the wildlife and plants half as frequently. This is simply justifying excessive mowing.
👉👉👉👉 Learn more about the Backyard Ecology Community: www.backyardecology.net/community/ 👈👈👈👈
🌸🌸🌸🌸 Video all about native violets: ruclips.net/video/3_NmVDrAdUU/видео.html 🌸🌸🌸🌸
🍓🍓🍓🍓 Video about native strawberries and the mock strawberry: ruclips.net/video/ARD3xj5Ewvo/видео.html 🍓🍓🍓🍓
🌼🌼🌼🌼 Video about the fleabanes: ruclips.net/video/iPLXE8zvWQw/видео.html 🌼🌼🌼🌼
🌾🌾🌾🌾 Blog on No Mow May: www.backyardecology.net/should-i-mow-my-yard-in-may-the-no-mow-may-debate/ 🌾🌾🌾🌾
🌻🌻🌻🌻 Blog on interval mowing: www.backyardecology.net/mow-your-yard-less-frequently/ 🌻🌻🌻🌻
Yes, liked the tier list format.
Thanks!
Very nice video! You covered a lot of the most common things seen, which I think can be more helpful to more people than just covering the natives. The common sense approach to the rankings makes it easier to understand as well. Like all of your videos, I got a lot out of this one!
Thanks! Excellent feedback! Glad you found the video useful.
Great video! I really did like the format. You covered all of the really common weeds in my lawn other than buttercups. I’d love to see a part two or another video of this format!
Thanks! There will likely be more tier list coming in the future!
I appreciate that you used the score card to justify where each plant rated on the tier list.
Thanks! I may incorporate something similar into other non-tier list videos too.
The one I get that I have a ton of nostalgia for is this little blue guy that i think is a type of speedwell. They carpet certain patches of the lawn right around when the violets start to bloom and don't come back after our first mow. There aren't many non-natives I have much of a fondness for, but those always make me so happy to see and have a strong association with Springtime for me
Wow! So informative! I like the tier list-great way to categorize plants.
Thanks! The tier list will be appearing in more videos.
Really helpful to see your process for scoring and ranking the plants. One suggestion: on your scorecard you might consider flipping the yes/no box for the invasive row. This would put all the “Pros” on the left, and all the “Cons” on the right. Better for visual communication.
Absolutely agree with your common sense approach for ranking. We have such a huge list of tasks, it helps to have a process for prioritizing.
Thanks! Very helpful feedback! I thought about flipping it but then I thought having a the yes and no flipped might confuse people too, so I left it.
I moved into a typical non native formal landscape that had a pond with everything manacured. I turned the pond natural, I reduced the lawn and created new arborist chip mulch beds, left the leaves, planted alot of native trees, shrubs, and wildflowers. Every time i remove a non native i do it after its bloomed and then i replace it with a native. Slowly removing and replacing everything non native. I grow my own plants also, some from native local ecotype seeds. Its rewarding. It also reminds me of Pokemon just watching a collecting them all.
That is awesome! It is so cool watching a piece of land transform. I totally get the Pokemon reference! We have a small native plants nursery and try to grow as many local ecotypes as we can.
Glad to see my plan to plant out some Fleabanes around the garden is backed up by science!!
Fleabane is one of the most underrated natives. Such a great plant for a ton of reasons.
I LOVE violets 🥰🥰🥰 they are my favorite ground cover
Thanks!
Thank you!
Best video I ever saw on lawn weeds. I have all the worst ones.
Thanks! Having the worst ones is fairly normal - they are all highly adaptable and tend to invade lawns first.
Good to know about non-natives since they're everywhere. Thanks
Trying to expand my common blue violets to yard once covered by gravel. Hope I can help it make the leap to a new yard part.
Nice! Violets are very adaptable so there is a good chance they will do just fine.
Love all of your Videos! This is my Favorite by far, Thank You!
Thanks!
This was super helpful for me to identify what's growing in my yard! Thank you
Glad you found the video helpfu!
This video seemed to get a lot of attention! Great educational video for people to learn more about the good and bad plants in an average yard. You're really reaching people! I always learn something from your videos!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Very interesting! I enjoyed the Tier rating. Have you considered doing a video about natives beneficial for birds? I like to feed them seeds from plants because there's too many wild creatures a bird feeder would invite into my yard.
Thanks! I did one about overall strategies to attract birds which can be seen here: ruclips.net/video/ITHgy8xhIV0/видео.html I also try to include what benefits for birds the plants in my more focused species and plant groups videos have.
@@BackyardEcology Awesome! Thanks for the link!
Doesnt matter how good or bad creeping charlie is, its going to be the entirety of my side yard because the neighbor has it and it was already here when I bought the place. At least I was able to get it out of the garden right next to the lawn and have been able to keep it out.
Its nice to see violets are so beneficial because I have so many violets. They just appeared here and I looked them up, saw that they were native and pretty and let them grow. There is a section of my yard thats about 200 square feet thats basically all violets. Im glad they are taking over because almost everything else I plant there dies for some reason but the violets are thriving. I also have a lot in my other back garden.
I wish I could stick to natives only but its a little tricky when I have to stick with plants that are safe for dogs and, for most of my yard, good in shade.
Great video!
Thanks!
Love the tier list!! You hit almost everything I’ve seen pop up en mass in my yard! I have a mix of good and bad - I have a bunch of fleabane m but I need to get the ground ivy and mock strawberries under control
Thanks! Ground ivy and mock strawberry will cover an area once it gets going well - get them out early!
I always like tier lists, so bring em on. This was quite helpful and timely. I moved into a new to me rental house in mid-April. It has tons of plants that most people around here would consider weeds. I've been trying to figure out what to pull/cut (massive job) and what to keep.
I had been pulling fleabane that wasn't in bloom without knowing what it was. Then I ID'ed it with the Picture This app and learned how useful it is to pollinators. So I let a whole bunch of it grow tall and flower.
I have also been leaving the ground-ivy/gill-over-the-ground alone, but now I may pull it. Though I have seen a bumblebee working it assiduously.
But there's a native that has to go -- yeah, poison ivy.
Thanks for this video.
Glad you liked the video! Ground ivy is a really nasty invasive - some pollinators will use it, but they will also use a ton of better stuff. The big thing with ground ivy is it often ends up being the only thing left once it gets going.
Great video! Although one correction is there is a specialist that feeds young with Dutch white clover pollen.
Calliopsis Andreniformis has also been observed collecting and feeding nonnative pollen to its young, which is important to note because Calliopsis Andreniformis only feeds its brood pollen from legumes.
This information is also stated in chapter 8 of a book called Our Native Bees by Paige Embry.
The eastern miner bee, Calliopsis andrenifromis, is a common bee in eastern NA. While a pollen specialist on legumes, it is a generalist within that group. While they will visit white clover, they will also gather pollen from a large assortment of lawn plants. If they relied solely on Trifolium pollen I would have bumped up white clover a bit.
OMG, this ground ivy os really taking over my backyard. And now I understand why it overcame my clover!!
Ground ivy is terrible. I get asked about it all the time.
Fantastic video! Thank you!
Glad you liked it!
I LOVE the tier list format! It really helps to know the range of impacts that plants can have in our environment. I wouldn't mind other types of graphs or charts where applicable. I learned that ground ivy is not a good plant for our environment here in the USA. I didn't realize it was allelopathic. I always found it charming, but I'll do my best to replace it with something like our beloved native violets. Our yard is being taken over by invasive bittersweet among other nasties. We also have a huge patch of the dandelion-like cat's ears (Hypochoeris radicata), also not native.
Thanks! I go into more depth on the plant species in my other videos. I tried to keep this one focused on the tier list criteria to help it move along. Invasive bittersweet is one tough invasive to deal with.
Great information, thanks
Great video!! I've been curious about the weeds in my yard. Sad to see dandelions so low. 😭 I really love the tier format!
Thanks! It is the super low quality pollen that tanks the dandelions rating. It is the potato chip of the pollen world.
I see such a variety of insects feeding on Poison Hemlock flowers (Conium maculatum) -- delicate wasps, bees, flower flies, and more. I'd love an evaluation of it, like you did with the other weeds in this video. I know there are other issues with it, but the insects sure seem to prefer their flowers to so many others. Tier lists are fun.
Poison hemlock is a horrible invasive capable of forming dense, large monocultures and should be controlled wherever it pops up. Yes, some pollinators use it, but they use many plants that are absolutely horrible for the ecosystem. Hemlock often gets use because it is one of the only option left after it invades an area. Additionally, hemlock has zero wildlife value - nothing eats it. There is a reason I have done 3 videos all about how to control poison hemlock.
@@BackyardEcology yes, I understand all its negative aspects. I just wondered about its pollen quality, given the pollinator diversity and density I see on them, even when there are other species flowering in the area.
@@HaphazardHomesteadI have never seen any reference to the quality of hemlock pollen. The nectar and pollen in hemlock flowers is easy to access and the species that are drawn to it are generalist foragers - they go for what is easiest to get. They would switch to other plants instantly if hemlock wasn't around. The big drawback is all those pollinators are just helping the hemlock to spread.
@@BackyardEcologyThanks for that info. I think the highway mowing crews help with the spread of all that poison hemlock, too, lol. It's a problem plant for sure. You've got me interested in keeping track of some pollinator-plant interactions on iNaturalist now, so good work! Enjoy your backyard ecology!
@@HaphazardHomestead You are welcome! The mow crews mowing it when it is in late flower doesn't help for sure. I love looking through iNat pics and seeing what pollinators and critters are using plants!
I do like the tier list format.
As I'm trying to ID which plants to pull and which to encourage, I love this video format! Wish I could put false strawberry below E tier, lol
Thanks! Glad you like the format! Mock strawberry can be a huge issue in some areas.
Awesome video, thank you. Love the tier format. Really enjoy your channel. A huge tip of the cap from Villa Park IL….
Awesome, thank you!
Learn so much from your channel! Thanks!
Awesome! Glad you are finding the channel educational!
Ground Ivy, is that the same as creeping Charlie? Or is it a different plant?
It is the same plant. There are a ton of common names for it.
@@BackyardEcology thank you!!
Excellent video. Thank you.
Glad you liked it!
I have been messing around with backyards for decades and find it very rewarding. My back yards are alive and it's great. Your list and reasoning is very good but for me the dandelion goes much much higher on the list due to seed value. The value is the seed drawing in high numbers of gold finches that feed on the seed. The value of the plant for me goes something like this, it is a good green for me, it provides a visual pleasure, it provides for pollinators and it provides feed for birds and rabbits....lol just saying
I limited this video to purely pollinator benefits of lawn weeds. Wanted to keep it as streamlined as possible. I may do another one ranking lawn flowers for birds.
That's interesting and helpful to know about the benefit of the seeds. I wonder though, how much of a benefit that really is given that most birds heavily rely on bugs and grubs for food.
@@ClaytonDeweyVideos During the nesting season birds need a ton of insects - caterpillars are a huge part of the diet that makes baby birds grow. But there are birds that also depend on seeds - finches and sparrows are two examples of bird groups that rely heavily on seeds.
Great video! If you do a part 2, lawn weeds common to the central plains are Prostrate Spurge (Euphorbia prostrata)/Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) [both native to parts of the us] and Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) [non-native] and Blackseed plantain (Plantago rugelii) [native].
Thanks! Spurge almost made it into this video, it will likely be in a future video. Same with the plantains.
12.9k..Very nice work.. subs kr liya hai
Thanks!
I used to have weeds…..now I simply identify them as “native wildflowers”. 🤣🤣
They are only weeds if they are growing in a place you do not want them too...
Ground ivy and mock strawberries are ground hugging creeping plants that produce flowers and seeds close to the ground so they thrive and increase with mowing. Not mowing or mowing less frequently might allow taller plants to compete with them.
In theory it should work, but we mow very infrequently and the mock strawberry just keeps on creeping. It takes some rather aggressive, perennial natives like Canada goldenrod to finally smother it out. In most suburban yards it will persist. Ground ivy can limit other plant growth and tends to win once established if not removed.
Ragwort is poisonous to horses but it is the main plant to sustain the cinnabar moth. Dandelion may not be high in pollen but seasonally it is often the first nectar available, along with henbit & deadnettles, for the early bumblebees.
Chickweed is a very nutritious & can be used in salads as an alternative to water cress.
There are tons of plants blooming at the time of the dandelions and even before they bloom. They are way over stated as a pollinator plant. In eastern north America many species of trees and shrubs are blooming in the late winter and early spring and are the major source of nectar and pollen for our native bees and honeybees. The ragwort that is toxic to horses and other livestock and a host to the cinnabar moth (a non-native species in North America) is the tansy ragwort, Jacobaea vulgaris, which is also a non-native invasive species. Although it looks similar to the ragworts in the genus Packera they are very different plants.
Love fleabanes, hate ground ivy. Any tips for eliminating it? The only thing that has worked so far is to let taller plants choke it out, and so to that end I have several hundred Rudbeckia triloba, most between 1.5 to 2 meters high.
Ground ivy is one of the tougher invasives to control as it resprouts if roots are left when pulling it. If you can let more aggressive plants choke it out that will work eventually.
This video popped up in my recommended.
What is you option of marigolds?
Marigolds are not native and although they are used by a few pollinators they don't offer much else besides nectar and pollen.
Does anyone offer seed packets that include the top-tier pollinators? I'm working on a wood next to me that was taken over by English Ivy. I can mow down the ivy and there is some white clover, which the bees love, that I could encourage, but I'd like to also have some other good replacements.
Putting together perfect mixes is a hard thing to do since what plants would work best in a particular area depends on the conditions of that area and the goals of person planting them. One size fits all mixes seldom work well.
I have every one of these in my yard. Anything's better than a monoculture.
While a varied community of plants is wonderful there are things that can be bad when in the mix. Ground ivy is a good example - low pollinator value and zero wildlife value.
Great video and I learned a lot. For those “weeds” that did not make the cut, I always wonder why settlers came over with their coveted plants and introduced them to new countries. There must have been some value to them. I always like to check the medicinal properties of said weed, if there are any, before hucking it out. For example, as many know, dandelion has a powerhouse of medicinal properties - from liver cleanser to cancer curer (unlike the large corporations still lobbying for money for the last 100 years, presumably looking for a cure, but still not finding one, wonder why?) I also wonder why the huge campaign to kill every dandelion in sight. Maybe they are a threat to the $$. Lots of fantastic plants out there called weeds by …..Sheep sorrel has this medicinal claim as well, burdock….
Many plants were introduced by accident - they just ended up being in the things the settlers brought. Some were introduced as a food source, and many were introduced as ornamentals. While many invasive plants do have some medicinal qualities, so do a huge number of our native plants. When it comes to plants that are invasive I would rather have our native plants that support the native pollinators and wildlife than an invasive.
@@BackyardEcology Thanks for your comment. This makes good sense. Love native plants and this info.
I let the yard grow and if anything I can use pops up…I dig it up and plant em in pots!
I'm curious about the edibility(to humans) of some of these that you didn't specifically mention. While that's not part of the criteria for this tier ranking, one of the reasons I like to keep dandelions & wood sorrel* around, for example, is their edibility.
*and we do have a native wood sorrel in New England!
We also get quite a number of ranunculus/buttercups, & hawkweeds, orange "paintbrush" hawkweed, in particular, popping up in lawns left unmown for a bit.
Completely aside, have you made any videos addressing the horror that is black swallow wort...? 😥
A lot of the lawn "weeds" are edible violets, bittercress, chickweed, and others. I haven't done a video on swallowwort yet - its not one I deal with in KY so I am not too familiar with it other than knowing what it is and that it can be a pain to control.
What region of the US are you living in?
I live in KY, but this video applies to the majority of the eastern US.
Can dandelions get a pass for being a super food?
They are super nutritious, but from a pollinator standpoint they aren't all that great.
Didn’t see the three that have taken over my lawn since I stopped using herbicides. Black medic creeping charlie and bind weed. Everything wants to invade my garden beds unless I am constantly vigilant. Not sure how I feel about that….but not happy for sure 😵💫
Creeping Charlie is in the video - I used another name for it, ground ivy. I'll likely make another video like this as there were a ton of plants that could have made this list.
This video goes to 11 🤘
Thanks!
Dandelions are considered "non-native" as opposed to invasive since they're not poised to take over, and they have many benefits to lots of native species (and us).
Also they're rarely seen in non-disrupted habitats. So no need to chase them off.
While dandelions are used by some native species they aren't the greatest thing for them - their pollen is actually quite low in quality. I don't really worry about them in a lawn type setting but I don't try to encourage them either. Much better plants - both native and non-native than the dandelion for pollinators.
He keeps referring to native and non native… native to what what region.
This channel covers the eastern United States and parts of southern eastern Canada, although this video would apply to a good chunk of the western U.S. also.
Turf grass ( especially when maintained by herbicides) is not beneficial to the critter environment, and rates an "E" on the narrator's grading.
Turf grass period - even when not maintained by herbicides - would rank as an "E". It offers next to nothing for pollinators and wildlife.
No mow may is bad because you destroy the wildlife and plants at the end when you start mowing again...
also the grass smothers the weeds as it flowers
No Mow May doesn't work as it is a set time period and doesn't work for all locations. Periodic mowing has actually been shown to benefit pollinators when dealing with a turf grass setting that has forbs interspersed within it. There are plants (and critters that rely on them) that actually thrive with disturbance.
Mow half as much and produce half as much pollution. You also destroy the the wildlife and plants half as frequently. This is simply justifying excessive mowing.
@@JH-pt6ih Periodic mowing (from a pollinator management perspective) is basically mowing half as much.
Great video!
Thanks!