Tag: Thistle

July 19th – Ducking off work early for probably the last sunny afternoon of the warm spell for now. I hopped on the canal at Tyseley, then cycled into the city centre, and out via Smethwick, Great Bridge, the Tame Valley canal and Walsall. The canal was beautiful, and the scenery great, but my energy reserves were low and I found the going hard. I was reminded again, however, how green and beautiful our local waterways are, from inner city budleia to Smethwick’s hanging ivy; from the water lilies of Park Hall to the thistles of Rushall Junction. A great, but enervating ride.

July 17th – I’d not really studied thistles closely until I took a picture of some a few weeks ago, but they are actually fascinating, diverse, and very, very beautiful. These were growing by Clayhanger Bridge at the canalside, and each flower seems like precisely engineered perfection to me. I’ve noted that there seem to be a lot of different types, with different physical characteristics. 

They may be prickly customers, but they’re actually really interesting if you look closely. I must read up.

June 20th – Some plants have interesting buds, as well as the blooms themselves. Amongst this set I’d venture the thistle to be king. Prickly and prolific, they aren’t yet in flower on the verges of Stonnall, but it won’t be long now. This hardly, very British plant, beloved delicacy of donkeys, is changeless and a stalwart of the ecology of our country, yet somehow alien; what other plant maches it in the UK for sheer tactile hostility? Only the stinging nettle, I guess…