Saturday, May 17, 2008

Thistle


Yes, I know thistle is a weed. According to Wikipedia, thistle is the common name of a group of flowering plants characterised by leaves with sharp prickles all over the plant - on surfaces such as those of the stem and flat parts of leaves. These are an adaptation to protect the plant against herbivorous animals, discouraging them from feeding on the plant. For most of us, weed is a nasty four letter word that stands for the pesky vegetation that invades the pristine beauty of our lawns. However, some weeds can be very pretty. For a weed, and one with prickles, thistle can be very beautiful. So can wild daisies, honeysuckle, and a variety of other flowering weeds. Remember...beauty is in the eye of the beholder.
Click on the thistle blossom photo to view a slideshow of more wildflowers.






2 comments:

Chere said...

Thistle is a beautiful plant. I would suggest wearing bug spray while photographing them. Or maybe I was in Fla and the bug love everyone. My sister did say they can be a meance to your garden. The best phrase to descirbe them "Beautiful to look at but do not touch". Kinda like me. Ha Ha Ha

Roxanne Schwandt said...

I've never seen such beautiful weeds! You take awesome pics ;)