SHEPHARDâS NEEDLE Bidens pilosa Shepherds needle has other names that seem to depend on the regional preference, such as beggarâs ticks or beggar lice. Sometimes the latter term is associated with any seed that sticks to oneâs clothing. This plant may grow as tall as 3 feet with deeply dissected leaves. The favorite habitat is waste places, such as roadsides and briar patches. The sketch shows the white bloom that has five rays. The flower head is surrounded by two sets of bracts. The seed, however, is thin and black with several barbed fingers that stick to garments more tenaciously than Georgia red clay to your shoes.