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Here we have tickseed sunflowers in a fen.  This spot seems to be extreme fen.  The soil and water must be very basic.  Instead of head high plants we get knee highs.  When I saw these, they struck me as good examples of individual variation.  We so often wonder if nature or nurture account for variation.  This time it is clear that nurture makes a the big difference.  For these plants, being short may be an advantage.  What kind of a critter could gather these tickseeds?  Almost anything bigger than a mouse.