Helianthus Species, Western Sunflower

These are prolific weeds where I live in Arizona. Anywhere there is a little bit of water and recently tilled ground these spring up, get...Read Moreting to over 6' tall. They tend to group near fields that get irrigation, or vacant lots after rain. They are also ant magnets, and everytime I have gotten close to one of these I see thousands of ants running up and down the prickly stems. Also the stems get extremely woody and tough when mature, and if you want to cut one down you either run over it with a tractor, or chop it with an ax. Cute flowers, but I'm not sure I would plant this on purpose in my garden. I'm guessing the seeds are spread by birds and wind, and they self sow more than freely.

These sprung up in my herb garden. While lovely, they do take over. Terribly prolific, and easily over six feet tall. Removing them so t...Read Morehe herbs get sun might be a task in the coming years.