Yarrow, known as many other things in gardening catalogs, is a tall flower. The fern-like leaves can be quite bushy and the clusters of flowers can be white, yellow, red or pink. In the wild you will most likely come across white or yellow. Those Humans, always breeding things for their pleasure.
If you come to a whole grouping of Yarrow, feel free to harvest some. I usually
try to leave enough so that others may gather what they need, and to keep
it from looking too barren.
The plant is found in most of North America, Central America, Asia, Europe... Just about everywhere. It likes direct sunlight, but will also thrive in partial shade. Because it can grow to a height of 3 feet, it likes to be in fields, though I have seen lots growing along sandy riverbanks and along the edges of fields. There are some varieties that are just found in the desert areas.
The stems of Yarrow is woody. It can easily be used for kindling if you find year old stems, but be careful as the smoke, just like Mullein, can be pungent. In fact, you could use it like a fumigation with fresh leaves and a charcoal block.
The leaves are used in teas that can cleanse the body of nasties, and can be quite nasty tasting if yo do not combine it with something else. It is known to have some anti-inflammatory properties and can be used on small open cuts to kill of some forms of germs. In combination with Plantain, small cuts are no problem to deal with.