New plants pop up in our yard all the time and white snakeroot (Ageratina altissima) is one of the latest. This native herb, part of the aster family, has a lovely, late-blooming flower that has established itself on the edge of my yard where the grassy/weedy lawn stops and a wide herbaceous border begins.
Unlike many other tasty or medicinal volunteers that find their way to my property like wineberries, purslane, chickweed, garlic mustard, mugwort, Queen Anne’s lace (to mention a few), white snakeroot has more in common with hemlock as it is quite poisonous.
But unlike hemlock, I will not remove it from the yard but try to manage and isolate it, much as I do with foxgloves (another deadly plant to ingest). Given the fleeting flowers of Fall (and the fact I don’t have any grazing animals on the property) I think it worth the risk.
