This is a wild flower I spotted today, very close to where I live. I saw it was a cranesbill, called that because plants in this group have seedpods that look like the bill of a crane. They encapsulate a rather neat way of seed dispersal.
But which cranesbill? I've not seen it there before and I wasn't familiar with the species.
A bit of searching showed it is the 'cut leaved cranesbill', widespread in Europe. Although it's not rare at all, I can't remember seeing it anywhere before.
But this same, shy little plant, when introduced into North America, transmuted into an invasive species, and a 'noxious' weed'. I don't think anyone would have guessed that from looking at it.
Beauty and the Beast
This is a wild flower I spotted today, very close to where I live. I saw it was a cranesbill, called that because plants in this group have seedpods that look like the bill of a crane. They encapsulate a rather neat way of seed dispersal.
But which cranesbill? I've not seen it there before and I wasn't familiar with the species.
A bit of searching showed it is the 'cut leaved cranesbill', widespread in Europe. Although it's not rare at all, I can't remember seeing it anywhere before.
But this same, shy little plant, when introduced into North America, transmuted into an invasive species, and a 'noxious' weed'. I don't think anyone would have guessed that from looking at it.