mouse ear hawkweed

mouse-ear hawkweed (Hieracium pilosella)
non-native, weed
photos taken in june

mouse-ear hawkweed flowers look similar to dandelions and even puff up like them, but the flower heads are smaller, the stems are narrower and taller, and the leaves look totally different! unlike some other hawkweeds, its flowers grow on single stalks and the leaves are hairy - hence the name. i thought the hairiness was on the subtle side; it seems to vary, and some plants are more obviously hairy.
apparently new zealand has a huge problem with mouse-ear hawkweed overtaking pasture land! spreading via stolon, it can create dense mats that take over fields; interestingly, it doesn't seem to be nearly as much of a problem in the us despite having a pretty broad distribution. it is considered a noxious weed in some states - oregon, washington, and alaska, i think - but not in the northeast as far as i can tell.

mouse-ear hawkweed blooms from june to september.