Giant ragweed when it’s scraggly
Giant ragweed; click for greater detail.
In contrast to yesterday’s picture, giant ragweed can sometimes look less linear and more scraggly, especially at the top, as seen here on another plant growing at the same site as the one in the previous post.
For more information about Ambrosia trifida, including a clickable map showing the great many places in North America where the plant thrives, you may follow the siren’s song to the USDA website.
© 2011 Steven Schwartzman
Portraits of Wildflowers 
Great blog, love the photos.
Nathan Carlos Rupley
September 16, 2011 at 4:43 PM
I’m glad you find the photos photogenic.
Steve Schwartzman
September 16, 2011 at 4:48 PM
[…] high and highly allergenic species looks like when it flowers in the fall, you can look back at a post from […]
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February 22, 2013 at 6:17 AM
[…] Now that you know the setting, you can understand that in the background of this photograph you’re seeing not a range of mountains but a pile of dirt at a construction site (though your imagination can still make a mountain out of what would have been a very large mole hill). As darkness gave way to dawn, the brightening eastern sky silhouetted this giant ragweed plant, Ambrosia trifida, that I chose as one of my subjects. If you’d like to know what a giant ragweed plant looks like when there’s light on it, you can check out a post from three years ago. […]
A different profile with the sun behind it | Portraits of Wildflowers
November 19, 2014 at 5:24 AM
What? I’m the *first* to like one of your posts? That felt strange. LOL
Shannon
November 22, 2014 at 11:04 AM
Thanks for your like at such a late date. This post was three months into the existence of the blog, and not many people were visiting in those early days. In addition, ragweed is a subject that most people have a hard time liking (in the traditional sense of the word like), and inconspicuous flowers of this type don’t appeal to many either.
Steve Schwartzman
November 22, 2014 at 12:32 PM
Since I learned about sinus rinsing (hence, goodbye to seasonal allergies), I am one of the *only* people who might like ragweed. Three months in. That explains it. BTW, I just posted a link to that almanac download (you’ve been thanked in it). That was a great share! I’m nearly 200 pages in it so far.
Shannon
November 22, 2014 at 12:41 PM
Good for you. I’ve heard of that but haven’t tried it. I suffer from ragweed and sumpweed, but that hasn’t stopped me from wading in in the fall to take my pictures.
Steve Schwartzman
November 22, 2014 at 1:25 PM