Kiss-Me-Quick (Watch-The-Birdie)

I planned to go for a nice long walk at the nature reserve this afternoon but Mr Q decided to get up on the roof to mend a leak and I didn't like to leave him alone.

I shot this dunnock in a disused glasshouse. I love these little birds. They scurry about on the ground like mice.

We always used to call the weed in the pic kiss-me-quick as it sticks to one's clothes. It's also known as cleavers for the same reason. Another name is goosegrass as geese love it. It is edible, best cooked. It comes from the same family as coffee and the dried and roasted seeds have been used as a coffee substitute.

Shepherds used to use the plant to make a rough sieve for milk and this is still done in Sweden today. The roots can be used to make a red dye. What a versatile plant! :)