Creeping thistle seed-heads. Goldfinches love them, and other thistles. These finches have very finely pointed beaks that are ideal for picking off the small seeds. A classic scene at this time of year is a Goldfinch sitting on a thistle pulling out the "fluff" (seed carriers) and eating the seeds.

Some of the seeds can be seen here. I suspect these had been pulled out by finches, which were disturbed before they had the chance to eat the seeds, as most of the nearby seed carriers were "seedless".

No chance of catching any birdlife with this fairly wide-angled 20mm lens...