Could it be Lychnis coronaria? I never grow the stuff so I’m not terribly good at recognizing it...

Or Silene armeria.

It appears smooth rather than furry. So Silene fits better.

what do you mean edges ... do you mean where wind borne seed blow across the grass ... and hit a dead zone ... and fall into the edge of a garden bed???

if so.. that might be a clue as to a reseedeer that might not be welcome ...

it sure does not look like rose campion.. aka lychnis ... just not fuzzy enough ... as noted above ...

ken

https://duckduckgo.com/?q=rose+campion&t=ffcm&ia=images&iax=images

Looks like a type of milkweed to me.

The way the opposite foliage clasps with a ring around the stem says Caryophyllaceae. So not a milkweed. But a test would be to look at the sap.

The leaves are smooth, not fuzzy, but quite thick - almost but not quite succulent. Thinner, say, than portulaca, thicker than almost anything else I can think of. They are quite gray in comparison to most other leaves. When I say edges I mean that I find it near fences, trees, raised beds, seldom in the middle of the lawn. It is not the most prolific weed in my lawn by any stretch.

Can you leave one to flower and post a photo?

New example, same weed. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately) I think my son just whacked off those buds so we won't get to see it flower. Those boards are 11 inches (28 cm) high. Floral, I will keep an eye out and see if there is one in a safe location I can let flower.

We'll see if it blooms in water.

Silene Vulgaris?

No, I'm pretty certain it's not Silene vulgaris.

Although the flowers are similar, that plant seems too upright for Silene vulgaris. The vegetative portions look more like Silene csereii, to me. I haven't seen that species in person, but it does grow in the Michigan area and is a decent match for the photos.

Silene Csereii looks like a match. The stem does indeed have a bit of a waxy feel - wouldn't have noticed it but now that I am thinking of it it does. Thank you all!