The Burdock Burr – Arctium lappa – inspired George de mistral to invent Velcro in the 1940’s when he was on a walk with his dog Milka. After his walk, George noticed that his pants and his dog’s hair were covered in cockleburs. Curious why they stuck so well to these natural fibers, George de Mestral decided to study the burrs under a microscope. He saw that the burr plant contains thousands of tiny hooks that attach themselves efficiently to nearly any fabric (or dog hair) that passed by. Today, velcro is one of the most common used fasteners for the clothing industry and many other uses for easy and quick closure.