Greener on the Burdock side

I've read that horses won't wander if they have green grass and I guess it's true. Now that we've had frosty nights, there's slim pickin's. So the horses are getting into the taped off area that's supposed to protect them from the deep ravines to get to the good stuff. Unfortunately that'a also where the burdock is. I just found out what that obnoxious weed is called.

Both Red and Sparkler look like unicorns. The burs from this plant have bound all the hair in their forelocks and it's standing up straight.

So, we slid the round bale feeder in place in the loafing shed and used the skid steer to put the first round hay bale in it. Actually we tipped the feeder on its side and dropped it over the bale. Then we mowed down the roped off area and hopefully chopped up all the burs.

Burdock it turns out, has a two-year cycle. The first year it only grows those elephant size leaves close to the ground. The next year it develops a stalk, has pink blooms and then develops the burs that stick to everything. If you are really hungry, you can eat the root. They say it tastes like chicken (just kidding, artichoke hearts).