Nature's velcro?

I curse these things when they die off, become brittle, and catch in the dogs' coat, but they are quite attractive at this stage. I don't know what they are but presume a type of teasel? I also have no idea whether the 'cobweb' effect is part of the plant or due to insect activity. I was attracted to this area of rough ground by the purple thistles and the butterflies around them - got no pics of butterflies - but found this quite attractive.