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I came across the following photograph recently (via Birderblog). This golden-crowned kinglet is caught in a burdock plant. Burdock is an invasive species from Europe. It disperses its seeds via round seed balls with hooked spikes. These hooked spikes latch onto passing animals for distribution. For larger animals, these seed heads are a relatively harmless annoyance. For small birds, they pose a hazard, and may be life-threatening.
The photo above was taken by John Idzikowski; see his site for the complete story behind the photograph. For more on burdock, see here and here.
