Purple blooms that turn into fluff heads.
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Thickly standing tall their prickly presence daring you to come close.
Blowing in the wind
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The Canada thistle is beautiful and it has a specific purpose in creating healthy soil by being one of the first plants to grow and creating nutrients for others to follow. Here is an article “Bye bye Canada Thistle” that tells the story.
Sprout Question: What have you creatively reclaimed, recognizing its inherent beauty and purpose?
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Creative Potager – where imagination rules. Be inspired.
From Mayne Island, British Columbia, Canada
Creative Potager 
What have I creatively reclaimed, recognizing its inherent beauty and purpose?
That’s a hard one. But, even though I’m not sure it makes sense, the first thing that came to mind was my intuition. I’ve been trying to follow my intuition in everything I do, especially in health matters, creativity & relationships. And I’ve had some beautiful results making me appreciate the purpose & importance of our intuition.
This may not be what you were thinking of when you asked but I guess that it doesn’t matter because that’s what it meant to me.
The thistles remind me personally of Scotland where they’re beautiful and symbolic.
Kat X
Katina, the questions are meant to get us engaged with our creativity and so your response is perfect. I have heard this reference to Scotland before and will need to explore it further. Thank you for your thoughtful sprout response:)
Terrill – These are lovely shots, and I enjoyed the “Bye bye Canada Thistle link. Your Canadian Thistle bears a striking resemblance to Scottish Thistle which we see frequently in both the high and lowlands of Scotland.
Sprout Question: What have you creatively reclaimed, recognizing its inherent beauty and purpose?
The flowers on our basil plants. I’ve snipped them all and they’re currently hanging upside-down, drying in our basement. Once they’re bone dry, I’ll shake the seeds out of them for next year.
Laurie from the comments I am getting and the link to the picture you show, I am not sure that the Canada thistle didn’t immigrate from Scotland. The amount of parachute attached fluffy seeds these flower heads produce I am sure the could travel the globe looking for an ideal spot to land. Good to hear you will have basil for next year. I ate all the tops off mine before they bloomed. I do have nasturtium seeds though.
Dear readers, you are not going to believe what I discovered when I went to the garden today. The mice ate about five pounds of ripe tomatoes. FIVE POUNDS! AT LEAST! I picked the green and half ripe survivors and brought them in before night fall.
Well I finally did a bit of digging and here is what Creation Wiki has to say about the Canada Thistle… The Canada thistle is a species of thistle with the scientific name Cirsium arvense. It is also known as the Scottish thistle, Californian thistle, creeping thistle, corn thistle, perennial thistle, and field thistle. The plants native origin is yet to be distinguished because the plant has spread to Japan, China, Canada, and North America. It is considered a “noxious weed” and it is difficult to get rid of. It has a self regenerating and as well as sexual reproductive system.
So there we go.
Terrill,
Our thistle has had its season sometime ago… wondrously creative photographs.
the answer to your sprout question you will have to go read todays blog!
I am Love, Jeff
I did Jeff, I did. I’m so glad you enticed me over to your “Pandora” post… and I see Scott was by as well.
Dear readers, you may want to slip on by yourself. Great read and outstanding photographs. Thanks Jeff!
Great shots. Thanks for the link, too! Great job.
Thanks Scott. Good to see you hear.
Well I’ll be darned — that’s interesting, Terrill. In a nutshell, here’s a brief story behind the Scottish thistle:
The prickly purple thistle was adopted as the Emblem of Scotland during the rein of Alexander III (1249 -1286). Legend has it that an Army of King Haakon of Norway, intent on conquering the Scots landed at the Coast of Largs at night to surprise the sleeping Scottish Clansmen. In order to move more stealthily under the cover of darkness the Norsemen removed their footwear.
As they drew near to the Scots it wasn’t the only thing hiding under the cover of darkness. For one of Haakon’s men unfortunately stood on one of these spiny little defenders and shrieked out in pain, alerting the Clansmen of the advancing Norsemen. Needless to say it was the Scots who won the day.
Thanks Laurie, I was wondering about how the prickly purple thistle became so important to Scotland. Now we know!