Mouse-ear hawkweed

Mouse-ear hawkweed is a sprawling herbaceous perennial plant that has long-haired oval leaves with a furry underside. The yellow, dandelion-like composite flower at the end of the stalk blooms in June and July, sometimes even into the autumn.

The mouse-ear hawkweed grows on bright ridges, meadows, rocks, arid beach cliffs and roadsides of Europe and North Asia.

The hawkweed genus is very diverse and includes thousands of species. In suitable places, the mouse-ear hawkweed spreads out to grow as a wide, dense carpet that often catches the attention even from a distance.

The mouse-ear hawkweed does not like shade. It may appear in cut openings, but disappear when a competing crop’s growth starts to bring shade to the area. The mouse-ear hawkweed is also found in manmade environments such as in gravel sites and on highways. The diversity of heat ridge habitats and their specialised species, such as the mouse-ear hawkweed can be secured through proper habitat management measures.