Wild and Weedy Wednesday: Smooth Hawksbeard

Once again I am sharing a weed or wild flower from my garden this Wednesday. If you wish to join me, please do!

There are so many small yellow flowers in our meadow in spring and early summer and I must admit it is hard to tell them apart. Fortunately, I have an excellent plantfinder app which has enabled me to identify today’s weed/wild flower: Crepis capillaris, Smooth Hawksbeard.

This small yellow flower is usually low-growing, almost trailing, but will also occasionally grow upright to 30 or 40 cm tall in our meadow.

The flower only measures about 1.5 cm across and the plant has a stem that reminds me of dandelions… if broken there is a milky substance in it.

It started flowering at the end of May I think, and will keep on flowering all summer. It clearly likes sandy soil, sunshine, and plenty of rain – we have more of it this year I am sure, as we have had frequent rain all spring and summer so far.

The fluffy seedheads also remind me of dandelions, of which we had plenty in spring but now only the odd one here and there.

My trusty encyclopaedia of edible plants tells me that Crepis capillaris. like all Crepis plants, is in fact edible, and can be added to salads… it doesn’t tempt me though when I read that it is bitter tasting and should be soaked for two hours before eating! LOL! Although they do look like rucola leaves…

I wonder if you see this pretty little flower near your garden (or in it). Thankfully it hasn’t spread to my flower beds yet, although I have been quite diligent with the weeding recently so perhaps I have unknowingly weeded some seedlings out.

Have a good Wednesday

and

Happy Weeding!