Bugloss fiddleneck

Bugloss fiddleneck is a weedy plant that thrives on disturbed soil. The small yellow tubular-shaped flowers occur along multiple stems up to two feet tall that coil distinctively like the neck of a fiddle. The plant is very hairy and looks like it is covered in fat green hairy caterpillars. The stiff and bristle-like hairs cause irritation to human skin, but provide a deterrent to harvest or ingestion. The four-inch long leaves alternate and often grow crowded at the base. Each flower produces four, small, hard-shelled, black and shiny nutlets that are reputedly poisonous to cattle.