Bur buttercup was the bane of my summer childhood. While not as lethal to bare feet as puncturevine, bur buttercup still elicited plenty of tears when my feet encountered its little spiked seedheads.

While the sweet yellow blooms of creeping buttercup (Ranunculus spp.) look innocent enough, the plant is an invasive, short-lived perennial weed that can be harmful to pets and livestock. Buttercups ...