Question

Strange plant   I would like to know what kind of plant this is.  It just came up in my garden.  It bloomed (small yellow flowers) for only a few days.  It's leaves fold up at night.  Now it has long skinny seed pods on it.  Thanks for any help you can give me.  I live in Virginia

Answer
Patricia

I am in southern NJ. Native plants vary from one area to another.

I have looked through numerous plant picture books. I have searched numerous times on the Internet. I could not find a matching plant. The leaf does look familiar (At 1st I thought it might be a weed?). One man's weed is another man's valuable plant. Plants are classified according to their flower structure, so it would help to have a photo of the flower.
 

In this case I would recommend taking a cutting of the stem and branch leaf structure to your local garden center. You may have to go to more than one to get the right answer. Put it in a sealed bag (It may be a weed or have bugs). Try a reputable garden center VS a chain store.

Sorry I could not be more helpful.
Good luck,
Rick