Be on the lookout for Pennycress - weedy agricultural pest

Just a quick heads‑up about a little plant making the rounds on our properties lately: Pennycress. You’ve probably seen it—those cute little round seed pods that look like tiny coins. Adorable, right?

Well… adorable until it decides your property is its retirement plan.

Pennycress is one of those plants that shows up uninvited, settles in, and then suddenly acts like it pays the mortgage. It spreads fast, especially when the seed pods dry out and fling themselves around like they’re auditioning for Cirque du Soleil.

While it’s not on Colorado’s official noxious weed list, it is a persistent little rascal. It loves disturbed soil, gravel driveways, fence lines, and anywhere you once thought, “I should plant something nice here someday.” Left alone, it can crowd out grasses and native wildflowers, and it’s not exactly the landscape aesthetic most of us are going for. In a continuous patch, dried out pennycress can help fire move which is always unwelcome.

If you spot pennycress popping up, the best strategy is to pull it before the seed pods mature. After that, it’s basically confetti—except the kind that grows more pennycress.

If you ever want to bond over pulling weeds, I’m always happy to commiserate.

This is a picture of Pennycress this time of year. It is a golden yellow.

This is Pennycress in the spring and early summer before the seeds are viable