Field chickweed (Cerastium arvense) is a mat-forming perennial in the pinks (Caryophyllaceae) family found in many areas of our region.   Slender stems grow from rhizomes.    Narrow hairy leaves and slender hairy stems may rise to 40 cm.   Chickweed is quite variable, but we usually see a single white flower or a cluster of several flowers, with 5 white notched petals,  5 green sepals and 3 styles.

All photos by the author.    Click an image for a lightbox (larger) view.

a dwarf variety of Cerastium

After flowering, reddish-brown capsules form.    The plant becomes hard to distinguish in late summer.

Field chickweed is related to, but less invasive than garden chickweed.    At higher elevations, we may be able to spot the dense mats of Bering chickweed (Cerastium beeringianum).

We usually spot field chickweed in bloom in spring in the grasslands and in glades in the lower open forests.

We also have snow-in-summer (Cerastium biebersteinii sp.) which we have used as a groundcover in difficult-to-grow areas in our garden for almost 50 years.