What Are The Purple Flowers Covering Washington Fields?

I love Spring, especially with all the new blooms that seem to be everywhere!

However, I'm also noticing that I'm sneezing, a lot. Is it because of all these beautiful purple flowers we're seeing? I know it's NOT lavender. What are these flowers? According to Farms.com, they're actually a common lawn weed called HENBIT. And, the weed seems to be everywhere!

You can find this particular weed in Canada, the United States, Australia, South America, Greenland and western Asia. It struggles with the heat, so will most likely appear between the months of February and June in light, dry soil.

Henbit looks beautiful, but can quickly do damage. While the flowers appear beautiful, henbit is known for pollen and nectar. This means bees and allergies. So, if you've been sneezing excessively, look around to see if henbit is near. Should these weeds pop up in your garden or yard, you can easily pull them out. The good thing is henbit flowers don't last long. They only bloom in March and April.

Believe it or not, there are benefits associated with henbit.

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Interestingly enough, Henbit has an edible stem, the flowers and leaves can be used in salads, soups, even teas. There's a thread on Reddit about all the goodness of henbit.

Tips on what to do with henbit deadnettle?
byu/goblin-creature inforaging