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Can anyone identify this? I have this in addition to couch grass, I'm assuming it's another evil perennial weed with invasive roots.

Hello Moggle,
                     That weed sure looks like dandelion to me, It as a long taproot which you must get out, try not to break it and leave little bits of it in the ground as they will all produce another plant.

 :-[
Is it that simple then?

Shows how little i know about weeds then  :-[ I did think it looked like a dandelion, but  thought they grew from seed

Well I am not sure it is a dandelion, the leaves don't look quite the correct shape at the ends. But there are lots of members of that family which look similar and are just as hard to get rid of. By the way you will be glad to know that dandelion seeds are over 90% infertile and so cannot grow, that is why they produce so many gillions of them!

Which my kids like to spread far and wide by blowing them in the wind setting the fairies free and telling the time!  :-\

Without the flower it is hard to tell, but if it is spreading and very invasive I bet it is Fox and Cubs which is the only name I know it as. Orange/yellow small dandylion type flowers. It is sometimes used as groundcover in semi-wild gardens.

Dock?

Fox and cubs is Hieracium aurantiacum or Grim the Collier or Orange hawkweed. The leaves of it  though are spoon shaped and have hairy undersides.

My initial guess was some form of wild lettuce which would put it in the same family as hawkweeds. Without the flower it is indeed hard to tell and we could all be wrong. Does it produce white sap when it is broken?

our lottie has lots of that too, mixed in with couch grass, other grass, and half rotted HUGE carrots!

I assumed it was a dandilion or something similar.

I found it in one of my books at the weekend - but I can't remember what it's called now.

Possibly seedling Shepherd's Purse? - have a look at

www.dgsgardening.btinternet.co.uk/weedseedgs.htm

Whatever it is, I've got them in my lawn!