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Wild plant ID

pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,055
edited May 2019 in Wildlife gardening
I’ve seen this as I was walking today. It has small spikes along the midrib and on the leaf blade itself. It also has quite a reservoir of water gathered where the leaves join together.


Posts

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Central Norfolk UKPosts: 82,136
    Teasel 😊 
    “I am not lost, for I know where I am. But however, where I am may be lost.” Winnie the Pooh







  • raisingirlraisingirl East Devon, on the Edge of Exmoor.Posts: 6,320
    glorious plant - the birds love them. Pricklier than a prickly thing with spikes when they flower
    “Light thinks it travels faster than anything but it is wrong. No matter how fast light travels, it finds the darkness has always got there first” 
  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,055
    Thank you, Dove. I should be able to recognise it now even without the striking flower heads. I was very intrigued by its appearance today. It seemed almost... carnivorous. 
  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,055
    Thank you, @raisingirl. I love teasels, I just didn’t recognise it at this stage.
  • wild edgeswild edges The north west of south east WalesPosts: 8,846
    There have been studies that suggest that teasel is partially carnivorous due to the insects trapped in those water pools around the leaf bases. There's also a lot of folklore about the use of the water in herbal remidies apparently. It looks like a pretty manky insect soup most of the time so I'll pass on whatever they use it for. :#
    Tradition is just peer pressure from dead people
  • pitter-patterpitter-patter Posts: 2,055
    Thanks, @wild edges, that’s really interesting.
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