Stratiotes aloides, or water pineapple in english and water scissors in slovene. Both names very appropriate, as it does look like the upper part of the pineapple was thrown into shallow water, and the leaves are similar shape to shearing scissors and the edge is very sharp and serrated and perfectly able to cut through skin, as can be confirmed by my fingers.
An awesome species, very rare where I live due to lack of suitable habitats (healthy, natural, oxbow lakes and other shallow bodies of still water).
I got stung by a flannel moth caterpillar once (they call them asps in Texas). Little bugger hitched a ride on my shirt while I was waiting on the bus and managed to crawl up into my beard without me noticing. I noticed it in the mirror when I got home and fortunately had the sense to pull it off with some toilet paper rather than my bare hands (I didn’t know what it was at the time). A few minutes later, though, and half my face felt like it was on fire and there was this intense throbbing pain radiating all the way up my right arm. I had to shave my beard and try to remove the urticating hairs with duct tape. The pain lasted two absolutely miserable days. Never thought I’d have a reason to hate a caterpillar…
