Teasel

One plant encountered during a recent visit to Princeton Day School (see post about their extraordinary school garden project at PrincetonPrimer.org), is teasel (Dipsacus sp.).

It has a bristly grace.

Not native to America, it shows moderate invasive capability. I tend to group it with other moderately invasive species moving east from the midwest, like Queen Anne's Lace, interesting and attractive in some ways, but also with the potential to displace native species over time.