And The Mystery Picture Is...

A Snow-Covered Burdock Burr!

MinTheGap guessed correctly.

Stephanie guessed right also, as it is the seed head of the burdock plant.

Rachel Grace was close in her guess of cockle burrs as they are similar to burdock burrs.

Here is a bit about burdock:

Burdock is any of a group of biennial thistles in the genus Arctium, family Asteraceae. Native to the Old World, several species have been widely introduced worldwide.

Plants of the genus Arctium have dark green leaves that can grow up to 28" (71 cm) long. They are generally large, coarse and ovate, with the lower ones being heart-shaped. They are woolly underneath. The leafstalks are generally hollow. Arctiumspecies generally flower from July through to October.

The prickly heads of these plants (burrs) are noted for easily catching on to fur and clothing (being the inspiration for Velcro), thus providing an excellent mechanism forseed dispersal. Burrs cause local irritation and can possibly cause intestinal hairballs in pets. However, most animals avoid ingesting these plants. The burdocks are sometimes confused with thecockleburs (genus Xanthium) and rhubarb (genus Rheum). The taproot of young burdock plants can be harvested and eaten as a root vegetable. Burdock root is very crisp and has a sweet, mild, and pungent flavour with a little muddy harshness that can be reduced by soaking julienne/shredded roots in water for five to ten minutes. Immature flower stalks may also be harvested in late spring, before flowers appear; the taste resembles that of artichoke, to which the burdock is related.

Pictures of burdock:

The plant...

Here is a picture of the flower heads in the summer. I told you they were purple! Aren't they beautiful?

A close-up of one of the leaves. I can see how they could easily be mistaken for rhubarb!

The root...

A Fun Fact:

After taking his dog for a walk one day in the early 1940s, George de Mestral, a Swiss inventor, became curious about the seeds of the burdock plant that had attached themselves to his clothes and to the dog's fur. Under a microscope, he looked closely at the hook-and-loop system that the seeds use to hitchhike on passing animals aiding seed dispersal, and he realised that the same approach could be used to join other things together. The result was Velcro.

I hope you enjoyed this. I will do another picture again on Wednesday.

Again, like last week, if you want to email me a Mystery Picture you are welcome to do so. Please include the correct answer with the picture.

Here is my email: nanniedoons(at)gmail(dot)com

I really hope that I get a picture from any of you my readers.

Oh, and a note to Amy and Taylor:

My fingers published your comments yesterday before brain did and I had to delete them and then re-publish them today as anonymous comments. I am sorry! I just wanted to make sure I posted everyone's guesses at the same time!!