Wispy Dandelion

What is a weed? 
A plant whose virtues have not 
yet been discovered.

Ralph Waldo Emerson

About the Image: Dandelion Pappus - 12-03-11 Izaak Walton Park - Christiansburg, VA

I didn't know what the little "wispy" part of the dandelion was called. I looked it up and Wikipedia tells me that it is called a Pappus (Pappi would be the plural).

"feathery bristles of the pappus function as a "parachute" which enables the seed to be carried by the wind" 
 I LOVE learning new things!