Mullein

Anyone who has ever driven on back roads (or not so back) has seen this member of the Verbascum family - common name, Mullein.  You can't miss it, really, in the summer to early fall with its very tall spikes of golden yellow flowers.  This particular Verbascum is a biennial.  Right now you will just find the equally large rosette of furry grey/green leaves.  Given the number of seeds it produces, I'm kind of surprised that it doesn't grow more thickly, but rather there is just a plant here and another there.  I'm going to guess that the seeds might be a favorite with some of the birds, probably finches, that I see eating weed seeds in our fields for most of the autumn.  Hank doesn't especially like them, but I'm kind of fond of them, always have been, so he allows a few to grow in out of the way places for me.  Even if they weren't pretty in bloom, anything that's green in January on a very cold day will always have a place in my garden.