Hive of activity

Spotted this teasel while out on a walk near the river with my naturalist friend J. It was a magnet for hoverflies and other insects. The blue flowers contrast beautifully with the green of the bracts. As the year goes on the flower heads dry to form the brown, dried teasels that we know so well. Cultivated fuller's teasels are used in the textile industry and have hooks on the ends of the bracts. We saw lots of butterflies today including commas, ringlets and meadow browns.

For the record: 19C, mostly cloudy, windy