Burrs did not evolve just to annoy you by getting into your dog's fur and sticking to your pantlegs. Burrs are seeds, but unlike fruit-bearing plants, their seeds don't get spread by being eaten and carried around by critters seeking a tasty treat. They're nature's hitchhikers bumming a ride from any creature passing through.
Burrs
(click on image for a larger, clearer view)Cockleburs (Xanthium strumarium) are members of the daisy family, though highly disguised from their family origins. Masters of survival, each burr contains two seeds that are time sequenced so that one seed grows in the first year, and the second one grows in the second year.
Burrs are nature's velcro. In fact, cockleburs gave George de Mestral the idea for Velcro. Each burr has hundreds of tiny hooked prongs that bury themselves into fur and clothing like miniature fish hooks.
Burrs
(click on image for a larger, clearer view)Cocklebur plants are toxic and burrs are a bane to the fur industry. Dog owners swear at them. They can attach to people too. Last winter, on a photo shoot down by the Credit River, I accidentally brushed up against some burrs in the snow and dozens of them stuck to the fabric of my weaved gloves. It was subzero weather, bitterly cold, but I had to remove my hands from my gloves to pick off the burrs so they wouldn't get into my camera gear.
Even so, I like their colour and their texture. They've got attitude, and they're fun to photograph.
(8-Oct-2003, Revised 16-June-2004)
www.NorthernJourney.com -- gene@wilburn.ca