Monday, 7:40 AM. 49 degrees, wind ENE, calm. The channel is slightly wrinkled, the sky is mostly clear and the barometer predicts sunny skies.The plant pictured is the somewhat common field and roadside weed, burdock, Arctium flava (or a closely related species). The burdocks, of which there are several species, are Eurasian plants commonly associated with agriculture. The burr seed heads cling to clothing, fur, etc. and spread the plants widely. In the past it was a somewhat important medicinal plant as a stimulant, diuretic, and antidote for scurvy and skin problems but has pretty much fallen out of use. In Colonial times the unripe burrs were sometimes prepared with sugar or honey as an after dinner candy. The juice of the burdock, rubbed into the skin, is an old antidote for the stings of nettles, which we mentioned a few days ago. "Dock in, Nettle out," was an old English children's rhyme, and this use of the burdock was related a number of times in various Shakespearean plays. In any case, if you spend much time in the field you will come across the burdocks, or rather they will come across you.
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