When the leaves of these plants first appeared several months ago in March, at the beginning of the coronavirus lockdown, it took me a while to identify them. They are Wild Teasels (Dipsacus fullonum) and they have grown very big now at the end of May, about four feet tall I would say. Egg-shaped flower heads are beginning to form at the top of the spiny leafy stems. The flower heads are still small, soft and green and protected by amazing bracts that look like rigid tentacles with several smaller ones (is it twelve?) encircling the flower head and two much longer ones extending upwards. They really do look strange. I am looking forward to the time in the not too distant future when they produce row after row of pale lilac pink flowers.
Jessica's Nature Blog 