You've helped me to put a name to another wild flower that I have taken a picture of in Stearns County.

Growing in a flower bed. didnt know if it was a flower or weed.

growing beside my driveway, clearwater county, love this site, have used it to put names to all the wildflowers growing in the woods of my new home.

Sparse, first year plants. Very, very thick and soft leaves without spikes at this time. Obvious to us why they are called "Beggar's Blanket"!

We have alot of these.

Large colony of these in the meadow southwest of the Discovery Center, in an area where a large pile of wood chips was dumped after a heavy windstorm several years ago.

Have a hill I have been cultivating as a prairie grass environment. This plant is persistent. It establishes itself among plants that one really can't see if he isn't on top of it. Easily obscured first year by the bergamot, etc that grows much higher. My wife likes it but I see thick stands of it along I-94 that are really not very pretty at all. Am grateful for this site. Knowing it is an invasive species, I plan to do battle again in a week or so...

found in my friends yard pretty sure a bird brought the seed in. about the best time to pick prairie onion is now

There are many of these growing in the gravel pits all along Highway 11 where it follows the ridge. They are just little rosettes of leaves as of yet. I have always wondered what they are and looked here a couple years ago and did not find them. Glad to find them now.

Found in multiple open fields, Gravel pits, and CRP

Great information about this stranger that popped up by the pond in my yard. It must have been left there by a bird. Since it appears to be biennial I wonder if the seeds it drops will make new plants next summer.The plant growing in my yard must a a giant version since it is already about seven and half feet tall with a three foot flower spike...and grwoing taller every day.

I have always loved these leaves. I didn't know what they were, but knew I liked them. In 2012, three of them sprouted up in great landscaping places in my yard. They were beautiful and I let them grow. When they started growing their spikes I wasn't sure I liked them anymore but I saw bees buzzing the flowers so I let them alone. In the fall birds were all over them. One thing's for sure, I will never let them go to seed again! In 2013, I had innumerable numbers of them in my yard. Although, I still let a couple of them grow in various places because their big velvety leaves are gorgeous! But, no more tall flowing spikes!!!

I used to see this everywhere as a child in the Brainerd lakes area. I don't see it much anymore, but saw a group of them outside Nisswa today.

We have been trying to identify this weed since spring. It is now about 7 feet tall. We have never seen anything like this.

Just moved to AV and have a towering Common Mullein growing in my front yard (over 6ft). Glad to hear its native to MN.

Andrew, common mullein is not native. It's not an aggressive non-native, though, but it can be weedy in disturbed soils.

Observed along the Hiking Club Trail, obviously not yet blooming.

I found this site particularly to identify this wildflower. We moved into the country and had about 4 of these tall spikes along our gravel driveway along a large lilac bush. I just pulled up the three brown spiked not knowing what they were. Thanks!

I've had these growing in my yard forever. Some started growing in the field near me and I finally got to see the tall spikes! I'm thrilled to have access to a plant that makes free 'bamboo posts' now. :)

Saw this in an empty lot while out walking. Love this site, have used it a lot to identify plants.

I have a couple of these growing on the edge of a wildflower garden. Should I pull them up or leave them there?

Mick, mullein isn't really invasive but it can be overbearing due to sheer size. I wouldn't keep it in my own garden simply because I prefer to have only natives that are more beneficial to native insects.

I am trying to kill it. Wish me luck

We have it growing here in Merrifield, myself and my neighbors all have it.

Unfortunately, this is often referred to as "Indian Tobacco", which it isn't. Just thought I would post this in case others are looking for the this plant by mistake. When you see this in the wild, take a few moments and pull it up. Every little bit helps.

It's also called "turkey mullein" which can be misleading too, if somebody thinks it refers to the native bird.

My favorite plant. Collect and dry leaves every year. Then share to all friends who get cough, croup, endless bouts with mucous. It is a panacea as a tea - which i have found out will help keep the mucous from being too thick - hence, loose enough to cough easier..... I have seen mullein flower ear drops too - it is known to many people and not at all considered a weed. It is one of God's medicines. I am sure Hippocrates would approve!

Mullein as a tea needs to be sieved to keep out the hairs ( esp. for anyone with Asthma) Thank you for this wonderful website.

Two came out in my backyard this spring. No idea how they got there. My yard was redone last year, early spring. Maybe the birds because haven't seen any other around.

Has been growing around here forever, my father called it wild tobacco. I farm and it grows in pasture and along our roads. I control it some by pulling, or spot spraying. Never get it all, like musk thistle It always crops up somewhere.

I like to eat these flowers. Gobble Gobble Nom Nom

I think it's a beautiful plant/flower. Love to take notice of all the wildflowers while biking.

I've had great success in eradicating these invasives simply by hand pulling before they seed in their second year. What is truly alarming is that each plant can produce easily a million seeds and that they are VIABLE IN THE SOIL FOR 100 YEARS! Don't let these invasives flower and go to seed!!! Easy to pull and trash seed heads! You can make the difference wherever you go!

two of these mystery plants appeared in my flower bed, one last year that didn't bloom, 2nd one in adjoining flower bed, both blooming this year, almost 5' tall, beautiful big fuzzy leaves, lovely plants. I have never seen these plants before but did find several plants in Moorehead Park, Ida Grove, Iowa which prompted me to investigate the plants.

Found all over Fort Ridgely State Park, June 2020

07/02/2020. Popped out all over my butterfly and bee garden this year. I let them grow and like the yellow flowers.

We had a retaining wall ( next to a marsh) repaired last year and all kinds of interesting things have been popping up. This year we have a common mullein about 8 ft . tall. It is magnificent. Is it a good plant for pollinating or feeding the birds? Should I pull it in the fall?

Peggy, while mullein can be a pretty impressive plant, it has no particular benefit to native insects, birds or other wildlife. It's biennial so will die after flowering. Just deadhead it before it drops seed and pull or dig up any basal rosettes before they bolt.

Growing around my garage door slab! To pretty in bloom to pull!

Found just a few growing on my lake lot.

This plant is quite widespread around my property, though it doesn't really seem to be outcompeting any natives. It just acts like a sort of "space filler" while faster growing native plants overtake it. It doesn't bother me too much, as bees and butterflies like the flowers and goldfinches like the seeds, so it's still useful. I'm currently working on turning about 1 acre of lawn into native prairie, and this is definitely one of the non-natives I expect to deal with while the native plants are still young.

One of the easiest invasives to spot when in bloom, just before it goes truly rogue, easy to pull esp when soil is moist, yet left to its own devices at that point, AWFUL. Each flower can produce as much as a million seeds, and please note! These seeds can remain viable in the soil for 100 years! Please... enjoy the flower for the moment, and pull them out and destroy before they go to seed!

My dad called them mules ears, a name he said came from "old timers" ( he was one..born in 1898)> I have always found them interesting and the article was very interesting! I have a few growing in my two acre lot and protect them from my push mower. I am hoping they self-seed all around the lot! I detected some animosity from some folks about them, and maybe they can be but they are welcome at my place! Hardier than lawn grass and not so fussy!

Popped up along our gravel driveway a few years ago. Have seen them in disturbed sites and pastures around the area. Bees loved them and goldfinches loved the seeds. Am transitioning to native flower bed so only keeping them the first year when they are fuzzy leaves that act as filler/weed suppression. Tall stalk is pretty, but do need to cut before seeds. Filled bottom inch of gallon zip lock baggie with its seed before figuring out its European toilet paper from pioneer days.

What I find troublesome about this weed is that each plant can make a million seeds and they can remain viable in the soil for 100 years! Fortunately, the first-year plants are easy to find and don't make seeds, second year plants are obvious when in bloom and can be easily eradicated by hand pulling (esp. after a rain) before they set seed.

Is this plant attractive to bee's and/or butterflies?

Michelle, bees may visit but it is not more attractive to pollinators than native plants.

I found a HUGE patch on the trail off the highway near my house. Ranging from adolescent to mature great mullien.

Don't kill it. It's a wonderful medicinal herb for asthma and related respiratory issues. I'm moving to Minnesota next year and I'm so pleased I will be able to harvest it there. Makes a great tea.

Molly, there are many plants that have some value to humans, but that is no reason to let them run amok in the wild. Feel free to cultivate it yourself but don't encourage it in natural areas where it doesn't belong.

TONS of mullein at round lake park in eden prairie.

As a student of plant medicine, I am disturbed by the unrelentingly negative comments from K Chayka regarding -- for instance -- mullein. I am particularly disturbed by the counterpoint replies to any suggestion that mullein has benefits to wildlife, bees, etc. I respect her knowledge and concerns regarding what are termed 'invasive' plants, but a number of these are non-native species are here because people coming to this country, early in our history, brought their medicinal plant seed/stock with them. I hope that, as founder of this valuable and important site, that she might consider the matter further. Many thanks.

Kristen, as an advocate for supporting native species (flora and fauna), I have to reject the notion that any value to humans overrides the value to wildlife and native biodiversity. Humans intentionally introducing a species isn't really a valid reason to justify letting them run wild in natural areas where they can degrade or destroy native habitat. We are already in a mass extinction event, entirely caused by human interference. We need to put the brakes on moving plants around the globe and try to restore what we've already lost.

I love this plant too in my home landscape and in my herbalist toolkit as a Master Gardener; but as a certified native plant restorationist and Master Naturalist I share the concerns in the many comments here about keeping it in check by not allowing it to go to seed. I have found that it usually pulls easily when weeding my restoration plots and fields and that the open vacancy its removal creates offers great wide spot for re homing my potted native transplants from my nursery stock.