Burdock

Jane Gilliard captured these pics of  a burdock in flower near the 'White House', as our tool shed is known.

The flowers soon fade and already you can see the burrs forming.  These are the spiky balls which stick, velcro-like, to your socks and sweaters.  This is how the plant distributes its seeds, getting passing furry animals, like us, to carry them far and wide.

Earlier in the year, before the flowers and burrs appear, you can recognise the plant by its enormous leaves with white fur on the undersides.