This has been growing for several years at a house in my neighborhood.
From a distance they look like small sunflowers.
But I noticed they came back this year after the house was sold and remains empty.
If they were sinflowers we have a plethora of critters here who would have eaten the seeds - and this is a large cluster of flowers.
You may be able to see that the stem is slightly prickly. Not enough to call it thorns, but enough to feel ALMOST sharp to the touch.