Bull Thistle (Cirsium vulgare)

It's thistle time. Usually thistles bloom in and alongside pastures and fields. This summer we have five bull thistle, or spear thistle, plants thriving and blooming in our backyard. A few tower above my head, and I don't stand much taller than 5'3".

 

The thistle's pink-purple blooms look like fuzzy conical hats against a landscape tiring of its summer's work of growth and production. 

 

The thistle is the national flower of Scotland. Unfortunately, in many areas it's considered an invasive weed and destroyed.

We encourage plants claiming a space in our backyard. Their beauty and value to the critters and birds with whom we share land and resources soon becomes clear. I avoid the thistle's sharp spines, but the American goldfinch eats its seeds and uses thistledown as a primary nest building material. Bees and butterflies feed on the blooms' nectar. We all win.

Once the bloom fades the seed pod turns brown. Soon parachute-like seeds will be dispersed and carried about by the wind to settle in a new growing location. They float by outside the window, small wisps of seed carrying the promise of life within themselves. Hopefully, as stewards of the land, we'll discover more plants finding a home in our yard.