A bit of a twist this time as we worked along the roadside, on McCarthy Road between 104th Avenue and Wolf Road. An explosion of teasel and invasive thistles brought us there. Thanks to the great group of volunteers who endured a warm, sticky morning AND the incessant traffic noise! This group included several first-time Palos volunteers; Chris, Erik, and Claire.
Teasel is quite annoying for several reasons; it grows taller than most of the surrounding vegetation; its flowerhead has that unmistakable, spikey egg shape; they continue to stand erect even after the plant flowers (and dies), often into the next season. The only way to spare viewing them is to chop 'em down.
So that's what we did, filling multiple bags with the fruit of our labor. Driving the same stretch of road yesterday, I was impressed by the absence of teasel flower-heads, at least 'til the edge of our work zone where another patch reared its head. ugh!