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Can anyone help me identify this? It's popped up in my lawn in early spring. I live in Massachusetts and this thing is everywhere. It covers the ground so well, I'm afraid it'll keep grass from coming in. The leaves are small, very low to the ground, and grow in thick bunches. It is really hard to pull up. I'm not sure, but I think it produces a small white flower on a long stem.
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As Niall noted in the comments, this is Mouse Ear Chickweed (Cerastium fontanum). It's an annual cool season plant with a very wide range in temperate and cool climates with plenty of rainfall.
It often germinates in the fall, and blooms and sets seed in the mid-late spring after slow growth over winter. Plants that germinate in the spring will bloom and set seed at about the same time as well.
Because it's prolific and sets a lot of seed in good conditions, it has also become a garden/lawn weed in many areas. It is easy (although possibly time consuming) to remove it by hand, and I am also not aware of its resistance to any commercial herbicide.
