Dog fennel (Eupatorium capillifol) is a very common “weed” in the southeastern United States. It can be found in open and/or disturbed habitats from New Jersey through Florida and as far west as Texas. It is one of the first plants to begin to grow after a fire, so it’s quite common in the sandhills. When I first moved here, most of my property was smothered with it, and some of the plants were taller than I am. Dog fennel is a member of the Asteraceae family and a few people do use it for background growth in gardens, but it can be aggressive in it’s growth and if not kept in check will overgrow and kill off other plants. This aggressive growth is one of the main reasons that it’s commonly considered a weed. In September and October dog fennel grows hundreds of small, white flowers, that eventually become small pinkish red berries and finally white, fluffy seeds. On one of my hikes on the Bailey Trails of Gothe State Forest, I came across this particular plant. It was mid December and almost all of the dog fennel was in seeds. As the sun was moving lower on the horizon the light was catching those seeds in just the right way to make them look like they were glowing. The glowing seeds in the decreasing afternoon light gave a plant that I definitely would consider a weed an attractiveness that I had never noticed before.