1. Giant ragweed earns its title — it really is giant! It can grow to a whopping 10 feet tall, towering over corn stalks and grasses.

2. Common ragweed is small but mighty. It can thrive in tough conditions that other plants can’t handle. The seeds may remain dormant in the soil for many years, and germinate by the thousands when the time is right.

3. There are separate male and female flowers on ragweed plants. The male flowers are the culprits in hay fever season. They are situated at the top of the plant, so that the wind can readily disperse the pollen.

4. One individual giant ragweed plant can produce 10,000 seeds and release a billion pollen grains in one season.

5. Female flowers are tucked away in the crook of the stem and the leaf. Once pollinated, they will produce edible, oil-rich seeds.

6. Ragweed is a good food source for wildlife. In Illinois, the caterpillars of 10 different species of moths are known to feed on common and giant ragweed leaves. Twenty-three species of birds in Illinois eat the nutritious seeds.

— Valerie Blaine