Please identify the seedlings in my lawn - Ask Extension
Over the past few weeks, dozens of seedlings have appeared in my lawn. I submitted a photo to the iNaturalist app, which IDed them as poison ivy. I do...
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Please identify the seedlings in my lawn #928366
Asked April 14, 2026, 12:28 PM EDT
Over the past few weeks, dozens of seedlings have appeared in my lawn. I submitted a photo to the iNaturalist app, which IDed them as poison ivy. I don’t think this is right because: 1-They have two-leaf clusters and 2) I plucked several by hand, am highly allergic to p.i., and had zero reaction. There is a tree next to our property that is virtually dead—I think it’s a beech or copper beech. Do these trees release lots of seeds before they die? If we mow the lawn, will that suffice to stop the seedlings’ growth?
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Hi,
Yes these look like Beech seedlings, either from an American or European Beech, and we have received a few questions this spring about this. It seems like the trees are having a mast year, a phenomenon when trees produce an abundance of seeds or fruit due to weather or wildlife fluctuations, thought to be a way to make sure they can reproduce enough seedlings to survive. Also, if the tree was about to die or is dying sometimes they use up the last of the energy stores to produce a lot of seeds as a survival technique as well.
Regular mowing will take care of them, and they will stop coming up. It may take a few mows to have that happen.
Emily
