Thistles are considered a weed, an invasive plant and for good reasons. They are in competition with crops and interfere with grazing in pastures, where dense growths of spiny vegetation suppress forage plants and repel grazing animals from eating either the thistle plants or neighbouring forage. Some species, although not intensely poisonous, do affect the health of animals that swallow more than small amounts of the material.Thistles provide nectar for butterflies, skippers, goldfinches, hummingbirds, and bumblebees. Pollinators seem to love them. (Wikipedia)
I do find them to be a beautiful plant with a lovely flower. Yet I do not desire to have them in my yard or garden. I have a friend who farms in eastern Colorado and hates them with a passion, even angry at God for creating them, thinking God made a mistake. I think it’s beautiful in its role with nature.
6 Comments
Tom Dills
I would agree that thistles are indeed a weed, but also agree that as weeds they can be quite beautiful. And like any growing thing are an important part of ‘someone’s’ ecosystem. I can see where if they ended up in the wrong place the opinion could be quite different than ours!
Monte Stevens
And, I’m not going to pick one to place on the kitchen table.
Earl
I understand your friends passion against them. Growing up on a farm we use carry a hoe or small pickaxe on the tractor just for digging them up by the roots. We never rode pass one without stopping to “take it out.” Cutting them off just seems to make them come back even worst. Beautiful…too much history, I can’t get there. Haha! 🙂
Monte Stevens
Totally understand. I feel that way about bindweed. Those roots go 6 feet deep and in the hardest clay soil you can find.
Mark
It’s a plaguing question right? Some “weeds” we find more tolerable than others. I certainly pull my share of them, others I leave be and mow them when the time comes.
I’ve been poked my more than one thistle as well. I used to just let them grow, had one go more than 5 feet. But now I tend to take care of them when they are youngsters. Plenty of other foods for the pollinators.
Monte Stevens
I guess we can go along with the saying it’s in the eye of the beholder. I’m aware of how much beauty and ugliness there in the world, right beside each other.