Teasels

I ALWAYS LET one or two of the rosettes of Teasel grow. This year a group of three plants stand, taller than me, behind the pond. It gets its name because the spiky seed-heads were once collected to tease cloth. The teasel heads were fitted into frames and used as a fine-toothed comb to brush out the fibres of woollen cloth in one direction to raise a nap - a velvety surface. In the nineteenth century teasels were grown as a crop for use in the woollen industry.

For a small creature the teasel must seem like an assault course. The stem is armed with spines while the leaf bases form cups in which water collects. The scientific name, Dipsacus, comes from the Greek word for thirst.

In summer the pale purple flowers attract bees and butterflies, while in autumn and winter Goldfinches feed on the seeds.

Richard Bell,
wildlife illustrator
E-mail; 'richard@daelnet.co.uk'