All of the wildflowers are pretty much gone now. The days are getting hotter, the weeds are getting stickery(stickery is not a word but oh well!). However, there are still interesting things to be found around my house. These pictures are of a weed called Dodder. Dodder is a parasitic plant that feeds off the root system of a host plant. The seeds dropped from the Dodder plant can remain dormant for up to 5 years. If the conditions are right to germinate, the seed will grow into the soil then the young plant must find and attach itself to a host plant or else it will die. Dodder contains only a small amount of chlorophyll, not enough for survival. The young seedling is sensitive to touch and gropes around until it finds and attaches itself to a nearby plant. It winds itself around the stems of its host. Root-like branches then penetrate the stem into the host plants food source. Once the Dodder plant is tapped in, it's root system shrivels leaving no connection with the soil. Wide spread infestations can occur and alfalfa is particularly vulnerable.