CUTTLE BROOK LOCAL NATURE RESERVE TEASELS

Teasels are a very popular food source for many birds resident on the Cuttle Brook Reserve, particularly Goldfinches, whose beaks are well adapted to prising seeds from deep within the spiky heads. Teasels (Dipsacus fullonum) flower in July & August and until recently were cultivated commercially in Somerset for the textile industry, where they were used to raise the nap of woollen cloth and in the manufacture of velour and cashmere. Their preferred habitat is in damp, grassy places such as rough pastures and copses. Here, the edges of sedge beds provide ideal growing conditions.

Cuttle Brook Local Nature Reserve is owned by Thame Town Council and managed by Cuttle Brook Conservation Volunteers