A mild winter and early spring have given black swallowwort an ominous head start. It looks like a vine as it grows, then a pretty purple flower appears (in June this year) and finally a pod full of seeds (July and August). While the pods look somewhat like those on milkweed, they will kill monarch butterfly larva that hatch from eggs laid on these plants. Pull the entire plant (it will come out easily) by hand before the flowers ripen into pods. Keep an eye on the area because swallowwort may re-appear. Do not compost or throw any swallowwort into other areas. It will aggressively cover everything in your garden. Bag and add to your trash any swallowwort you find on your own property, then encourage your neighbors to do the same.
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