A Weed Is But An Unloved Flower

Weeds have been given a bad rap, yet some are actually quite beneficial.

Wild Ginger leaves look similar to Common Blue Violets, except they are larger and have smooth edges. A violet’s leaves have shallow notches. Also, wild ginger has hairy stems as opposed to the violet’s smooth stems.

Of course, it depends on what plants you label as weeds. Naturally occurring ground covers such as Wild Strawberry (Fragaria virginiana), Common Blue Violet (Viola sororia), and Wild Ginger (Asarum canadense) are just a few of the "weeds" that support ecosystems by providing food and shelter for wildlife while also nourishing the soil, preventing erosion, and smothering out the real weeds – non-natives and exotics.

Unfortunately, homeowners looking for the perfect lawn needlessly seek out and destroy these beneficial plants.

Equal Opportunity Killers

It breaks my heart to see these beautiful native plants zapped with weed killer. If people only realized how much damage those chemical cocktails cause. Advertisements lead you to believe that herbicides target only specific weeds. That's not true. Instead, they are equal opportunity killers! These lethal concoctions seep into the soil, water, and nearby plants, poisoning the insects, birds, and wildlife that depend on the indigenous greenery.

And to think, all this destruction takes place for a manicured lawn containing only a monocrop of non-native grass – an ecological desert devoid of any benefit for anyone. It's such a waste.

However, nature is resilient and able to withstand a lot of abuse. If humans stopped trying to manipulate the landscape and let things follow nature's path, the environment would come back into balance. Thanks to the weeds.

Nature Never Gives Up

Since the beginning of time, naturally occurring fires and floods have ravaged the landscape, leaving chaos in their wake. After the disaster, beautifully balanced ecosystems lie ripped in tatters, doomed to remain a wasteland. But Mother Nature is stubborn. She won't give up until her job is completed.

Weeds act as her first responders. They arrive on the scene and quickly get to work setting up a network of plants, vines, and flowers covering the bare, unprotected ground while their roots burrow deep into the ground, preventing the soil from washing away in the first hard rain. The weeds use their deep taproots to hold both the soil and water in place, allowing the land to stay hydrated while it heals.

Regrowth after a wildfire.

The cycle continues as each successive generation of weeds dies off, providing the nutrients necessary for the next stage of plant life. It may take years or even centuries, but eventually, step by step, the land returns to its intended state.

There is a Method to Nature’s Chaos

Weeds don't just sprout up at random. They grow where they're needed. That's what Mother Nature intended in the natural world, and it also applies to our lawns and gardens. Beneficial weeds thrive in unbalanced soil conditions and work to bring the soil back into balance. When weeds overrun your lawn or garden, don't get mad at the weeds. They're just doing their job.

Weeds are not the bad guys we've been led to believe:

• They attract pollinators. Beneficial weeds frequently flower, providing nectar and habitat for pollinators. Also, the unloved flowers are the first source of food for hungry bugs emerging in the spring.​

• The decaying plants fertilize the soil with nutrients. Their short life cycle provides a steady source of organic matter.

• Weeds cover and protect the vulnerable ground. Their roots hold the soil together and keep rain and wind from eroding it away.

• Some weeds bring water and nutrients from the depths of the soil and the air, providing necessary nutrition for other plants and microbes.

• They break up hard, compacted soil.

• Weeds provide homes for microbes and small creatures.

Noting what weeds are in the lawn or garden tells us about the health of the soil and what nutrients it's lacking. With time, the weeds would take care of getting your property in shape all on their own. But the process abides by nature's timeline, not ours. It's slow.

Dandelions, Purple Deadnettle, Clover, and Small-flowered Cranesbill take root in areas like this once bare piece of land. Picture courtesy of https://bcfarmsandfood.com

With all this said, if you still can't stand the thought of weeds in your lawn and have to get rid of them, please avoid using herbicides. Weed killers do more harm than good.

​Instead, find out what nutritional imbalances your soil is suffering from and try to remedy the problems naturally. When the soil is healthy, the weeds will go away on their own. Here are some common weeds that’ll tell you what your yard needs.

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