Common Chickweed

What it looks like

Low-growing and mat-forming, rooting wherever it touches soil. Mostly smooth stems with just one line of tiny hairs running down them, and small white flowers that look like they have ten petals but are really five deeply notched ones. Easy to confuse with mouseear chickweed, which is fuzzier and more gray-green overall.

Often mistaken for: Mouseear chickweed

When it shows up in the Triangle

Shows up in fall and grows through winter into early spring here in the Triangle, especially during cool, damp weather.

Where you’ll see it

Found in home lawns that are thin, shaded, and stay moist, giving it open ground to spread into.

What you can do

• Prune back trees/shrubs or thin canopy to let more light into shaded areas
• Avoid frequent light watering; water deeply but less often
• Mow at the proper height to keep turf thick and shade out weeds
• Overseed thin or bare spots in fall to close gaps before weeds move in
• Improve soil drainage in chronically damp areas