Wildflower - Teasel

The Common Teasel (Dipsacus fullonum) is a flowering plant that has a unique shape and structure. An egg-shaped flower head is located on top of a stiff, tall prickly stem that can reach 8 feet tall. This non-native plant from Eurasia and North Africa looks like a thistle, but is in a class by itself, the family class Dipsacaceae (Teasel Family).




A view of the thorny stem and spike covered flower head (with a bumble bee).



A close-up view of a bumble bee collecting nectar from the many small four petal flowers on the flower head.



There were 3 or 4 bees on some of the flower heads working to collect nectar from the flowers as soon as they opened. While the bees and other insects like the flowers for the nectar, many birds feed on the seeds during the winter.