Tick trefoil seeds can be a pain

As the photo shows, Canada tick trefoil is a stunning plant when it is in flower. Unfortunately, it also sets seeds, which stick to everything that touches them. Now that we are in seed collecting mode, every day we are faced with the task of taking them off clothing.

I have heard of all sorts of ways of dealing with them, but the only way I have found that works is to pick them off one by one. Sometimes this takes a half hour or more. No fun.

Yesterday I was collecting a great patch of cup plant. The cup plant seeds were superb, but unfortunately I had to wade through tick trefoil to get to them. As you walk you can feel the "tug" of the seed head on your clothing, and you know what you will be in for later.

Some people can't stand to have their clothes full of seeds and start to pick them off right away. Somehow that seems futile to me, as I'm sure I will get more before the day is out. I wait until the end of the day and pick them off all at once.

One thing I don't do is bring my seed-laded clothes upstairs. I have a spot in the basement where I work on them, and a special wastebasket they go in.

Even with all the caution, I still keep finding tick trefoil seeds all of the house. How do they get around?