Cleavers

I haven’t yet identified a common or garden name for this Gallium Aperine (if that’s what it is- Ed), but it’s a nuisance. As a child you may remember a plant that “sticks” to you especially if wearing wool-like clothing – or socks. Small green seed heads adhere by tiny Velcro hooks. The dogs usually have several picked up from their walks.

A bit more Googling tells me it is also known as Clivers, Catchweed (descriptive- Ed.) and sticky-willy (no comment- Ed.).

Any road up, point of this comment is that it has gone berserk this year and is festooning hedgerows around here and on the track to the cottage. It deals with strimmers easily just wrapping itself around the business end and choking it until it stalls.

I never cease to marvel at nature and the ability of species to have good and bad years, and who/what tells the genus that it is such a year?