The teasels are prominent on the Butterfly Meadow with their huge sculptural seed heads rising above the other vegetation. The Butterfly Meadow is a good habitat for them, as they prefer rough grass or wasteland. They are also found in other places on the site.
Teasels are a biennial plant - they complete their life cycle in two growing seasons. They have spiky spear shaped leaves that hold rainwater (and drowned insects!) In their second year they put up a large conical flower head that is often 5-6 feet tall. This has bands of pale purple flowers around it in summer. Once the flowering is over the seeds are held within the spiky head making it hard for them to be eaten by birds. However, charms of goldfinches regularly visit a patch of teasels as they have beaks that can extract the seeds and specially adapted feathers in the red patch on the front of their heads that protect their eyes from the spikes.
Teasels get their name from their traditional use of 'teasing' fabrics such as velour. They are still cultivated in Somerset for use in the woollen industry to raise the nap on the cloth.