My Pet Weed

Dear Diary,

This is "Letitia",  growing next to my barn and studio in a bed of daylilies.  Hard to see but she is sporting a deep red bow.  She is close to 8 feet tall.  I'm not sure what variety of plant she is, perhaps a variety of Joe Pye but her leaves remind me of a dandelion.  My PlantSnap program does not identify it.  She is quite a solitary specimen, none others around her.  She appears to have tiny flowers coming along the top third.  If anyone know what kind of plant she is I would love to know.  Now, most people would find it odd my "adopting" a weed but she just makes me smile, standing so tall and being a bit of a mystery.  For that reason alone she gets to stay in the garden. 

Letitia Update:  She is a Canadian Wild Lettuce!  Here is some info about her medicinal uses...The whole plant is rich in a milky sap that flows freely from any wounds. This hardens and dries when in contact with the air. The sap contains "lactucarium", which is used in medicine for its anodyne, antispasmodic, digestive, diuretic, hypnotic, narcotic and sedative properties. Lactucarium has the effects of a feeble opium, but without its tendency to cause digestive upsets, nor is it addictive. It is taken internally in the treatment of insomnia, anxiety, neuroses, hyperactivity in children, dry coughs, whooping cough, rheumatic pain etc. Concentrations of lactucarium are low in young plants and most concentrated when the plant comes into flower.