The Beauty In Loosing A Pulley On Your Mower

I know some not all, can anyone enlighten.
Guess I could have used an app, but where's the fun in that?

Is it the fact your mower is broken that is the 'key' to the nice images?

When I lost the pulley it was my first mow of the season. I immediately went to town an found another, only 1 in stock. When I started to tear it down I checked the others, both of the other 2 belt guide pulleys were bad. Luckily all 3 of the blade spindle pulleys were good. So instead of just fixing the 1 and mowing I waited on the other 2, had to order them. I've actually had them for 5 or 6 weeks waiting to see what started blooming around the yard.

So, the "Key" to finding out what's in your yard is to just tolerate it growing. Note that these are Spring and early Summer, I'm going to do the same late summer and into Winter. This is what I felt you meant.
The "key" to your literal question is.. Just to let the yard grow, have patience and a good camera.

And for anyone not knowing how to check a pulley on a mower deck, Just grab one side and see if you can wiggle it up and down. If you can its going bad. Sound is another indication, there will be a grinding or "roar" that might subside after a fresh greasing on the ones that you can grease.
Another tip on pulleys that have sealed bearings. When new and not installed on the mower, its a good practice to gently work the seal out of the bearings with an awl or something similar and grease them before you install.(some you can some you can't) 8 times out of 10 they are not "packed" with grease. I am going to add it to my 6mo., yearly maint. schedule as well.

If one needs to mow, waiting until plants have bloomed can help out many insects like bees. The first plants to flower are very important as they are the first food they get after a long winter.

Here are my suggestions...

#1 Queen Anne's lace or escaped carrot

#2 Butter weed

#4 Black eyed Susan?

#7 a thistle

#8 clover

#9 one of the plantains, maybe long leaf?

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Here are my suggestions...

#1 Queen Anne's lace or escaped carrot

#2 Butter weed

#4 Black eyed Susan?

#7 a thistle

#8 clover

#9 one of the plantains, maybe long leaf?

Thank you Ms/Mrs. Hardesty,

I'm going to have to go out tomorrow and get more details, leaves stems etc. on them all. Not very versed in species and genus or identification classification all together.So please forgive

#1. I was worried about bc it's a hemlock look-a-like.. more researching.
#2. needs more as well, the leaf shape doesn't coincide with butterweed pics I'm finding unless i'm just seeing different species. And it's toxic =(
#4 Black eyed Susan? - possibly, there is only a few patches, more info needed on my part
#7,8,9 I know those for sure, thanks.. oh, and yes you are right.

And for everyone else, I don't want anyone racking their brain when I clearly do not have my info together. I apologize

Re: #1 You are wise to be cautious. I worried about it too. What I did was grow carrots for several years. You come to know a plant fairly well. The first time I saw poison hemlock was driving past it at 45 miles an hour, it was 50 feet from the road. We stopped and trespassed to get to know the enemy.

A cautionary tale

A comparison of the two plants is here.

Also, crushing Queen Anne's lace leaves will release a carrot smell. Or so the experts write. My husband confirms this. I am one who can't smell carrots unless I'm standing over a pot of them cooking! I am confident enough of my in person id's that I  often throw the greenery in our salads.

Moral: Study the good guy, and it's easy to avoid the bad guy.

Joylynn Hardesty wrote:Re: #1 You are wise to be cautious. Moral: Study the good guy, and it's easy to avoid the bad guy.

Yes, and too keep from touching the bad guy to see if they smell like carrots, lol

looking only for now, after i get the stem and leaves verified... I'll grab some gloves Thanks again

You are better than me…

Like a blooming idiot I mowed my lawn noticing it was mowing hard on one side making an uneven cut figuring I had bent a blade or broke a spindle.

Nope, I had ran over a nail and had an almost flat tire on one side. Luckily that is cheap and easy to fix.

The lawn has since recovered nicely. Sadly the ash have leafed out so they block the view of the river.

I'm 99% certain that is queen anne's lace.  Another easy check is to pull one and break the root.  The root smells much more like carrots to me than a brushed leaf.  When you break the root, the smell is apparent immediately.

Steve Zoma wrote:You are better than me…
Like a blooming idiot

No Sir!, I am better than no man. We are all idiots, eventually figuring out the problems(blooming), becoming  "blooming idiots" until the next unrealized problem.

I too have had the low tire debacle

Nice meadow

Trace Oswald wrote:I'm 99% certain that is queen anne's lace.  Another easy check is to pull one and break the root.  The root smells much more like carrots to me than a brushed leaf.  When you break the root, the smell is apparent immediately.

Thank you, That's one of the problems, there is only 1. Well, maybe more I need to look. It's the only one blooming and like a "Bee" I was drawn to the flower.

I'm going out today for more observation, I will update the post after I get it all together

#5 is self-heal or heal-all
Last one is English plantain. The pollens will trigger allergic reaction but the leaves are the food source for common buckeye larvae.

Ok going to guess:
1. QAL
2. some kind of ragwort
3. some kind of fleabane
4. black-eyed susan
5.self-heal
6. eastern prickly pear (does it fruit? interesting!)
7. bull thistle
8. white clover
9. plantain

Nice variety!

#1 - Verified as Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota (Family Apiaceae),, >= octagonal stems, both the stems and leaves are covered with short, coarse hairs. Bloom smells almost like Honeysuckle to me. Leaves smell like Carrots.Sad to learn it's in it's 2 yr. can't wait to watch the bloom curl and get some seeds. Leaf shape not noted - closely resembles Look-A-like stem of poison hemlock is smooth, purple mottling and stinks.
Also noted as a companion for Tomatoes+
Edible -Using first year plants are recommended. Roots are long, pale, woody, and are finger-thin and are used in soups, stews and in making tea. First year leaves can be chopped and tossed into a salad. Flower clusters can be ‘french-fried’ or fresh flowers can be tossed into a salad. The aromatic seed is used as a flavoring in stews and soups. high in sugar (second only to the beet among root veg)
Thanks

#2 - looked at plants till my eyes-crossed, Mostly resembles the Ragweed varieties, close-up provided

#3 - it's everywhere - Not a priority atm

#4 -  Verified as "Black-eyed Susan" Rudbeckia hirta (Family Asteraceae) The seeds are considered poisonous. Do not use them medicinally or otherwise. Noted other Medicinal. Pollinator Food Juglones tolerant

#5 - 9  verified

Thank Again

May Lotito wrote:#5 is self-heal or heal-all
Last one is English plantain. The pollens will trigger allergic reaction but the leaves are the food source for common buckeye larvae.

Yes, have both broad and thin-leaf plantains and many yellow dock

Was stung by wasp while cleaning the gutters last week, immediately went for plantain -  chewed, applied, pain gone

Mercy Pergande wrote:Ok going to guess:
1. QAL
2. some kind of ragwort
3. some kind of fleabane
4. black-eyed susan
5.self-heal
6. eastern prickly pear (does it fruit? interesting!)
7. bull thistle
8. white clover
9. plantain

Nice variety!

Thank You!  I notice the PPear when I was filling a small hole. I had been mowing it for a year. Once I noticed 1, then another then another. All very small. I have 2 potted now. growing very well. The Original owner of the property had planted years ago. The next few owners neglected the property. I have old flower beds everywhere that were plastic and then filled with river rock totally covered by the grass, Didn't know until I tried to dig. Also have tulip bulbs flowering thru the grass. I'm trying to mark them before they die back so I can eventually get them.
I think you got them all right btw. The Fleabane is everywhere. I was mainly concerned about the one's I found very few of to know if I wanted to try to get the seeds and know herbal/medicinal benefits and the bad.
Thank You very much

Thank you all very much.

Jordan Holland wrote:If one needs to mow, waiting until plants have bloomed can help out many insects like bees. The first plants to flower are very important as they are the first food they get after a long winter.

I totally agree. I only mow sections at the time based on growth mainly because I rake and compost all of it. The area of white clover, full shade- the grass grows very slow, only mow it once in a while before the grass seeds. To the right of that picture is a huge oak, it's also a stormwater runoff area with a big rotted stump be hind the Oak. When the conditions are right I have Smooth-gilled Chanterelles all over following the roots of the old dead tree. Harvested over 10lbs last year.