Thistle

Where the thistle lifts a purple crown...
Frances ThompsoWhen

Whenever I see thistle, I think of Scotland and its culture. It is the country's national flower and there are several stories in Scottish folklore involving the flower. According to one legend, thistle thwarted a Viking nighttime raid on a Scottish castle when a Norseman in his bare feet stepped on a prickly stem and shrieked, alerting the sleeping Scots. If you want to see thistle, you do not have to cross the Atlantic Ocean because it does grow in our area. Although it is called a pernicious weed in many American wildflower books, I don’t see it too often around here.  About two years ago, I spotted some growing on the traffic Island near the intersection of Locust Avenue and Sunrise Highway in Bohemia. Unfortunately, it was mowed just as it was beginning to bloom. These days I see it in the Connetquot River State Park where I took the above photograph.