I was walking from Cowes on the Isle of Wight to Yarmouth along the coastal path in June. When nearing Yarmouth we saw this strange spike standing upright on a leaf (see photo). The top of the spike has broken off to the right.What created it? If it's of any use, the weather was warm.David Winstanley, Norwich, UK
The plant looks like a Pellitory (Parietaria sp) but I can#39;t see enough detail in the photo to have a clue what the spike is. I suspect it is unrelated to the plant it is on. Was the plant at ground level or up a wall? Not that I have anything in mind, just wondering as Pellitory of the Wall often is high on a wall.
It is dificult to see for sure in the picture. To me this looks like where a spiders web had been anchored, then bird droppings (or similar) had fallen near the end of the web. The droppings have run down the web onto the leaf, and now dried out. The remains of the web would have been blown away.