Hawkweed has suddenly been brightening the fields here, joining the daisies:
Most of it is Yellow Hawkweed:
About 10 percent is Orange Hawkweed:
t seems that experts now consider Yellow and Orange Hawkweed to be two different plants. Nonetheless, both are in the dandelion/chicory family and share the common name Hawkweed.
That common name derives from whimsical folklore in which hawks supposedly ate parts of the plant to improve their eyesight. Other common names include the word “devil,” because farmers found the weeds to be invasive and virtually impossible to kill. On the other hand, Native Americans used these plants like chewing tobacco. (Brooklin, Maine)