Dandelion Has Umbrellas, Burdock Has Velcro

I have a pair of kneeling pads that I wear when bug-hunting. They fasten with Velcro. I often come home with their fastenings, my hair, scarf and dog festooned with burrs. It is amazing how sharp the little hooks are, they will even cling to one's skin. What a wonderful method of seed dispersal for the burdock plant. Apt that the burrs have a particular affinity for Velcro.

In the 1940s a Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, noticed that when he returned from hunting trips his dog was smothered with burrs. Inspired he invented Velcro, sales of which exceed 100 million dollars annually.