When it comes to misunderstood and oftentimes maligned plants, I am certain the thistle is at or, at the very least, near the top of the list of plants society has unfairly condemned as weeds.
I, too, gave the thistle plant a bad rap for many years, calling it a noxious weed and cussing it out every time one appeared in my yard.
But no longer do I think of the thistle plant as a weed, but rather, from many years of photographing butterflies on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge auto tour route, among other places, I have found that the thistle plant is a very beneficial plant for bees, moths, and butterflies, both as a nectar source and, in some cases, a host plant, as well.
Today, in fact, I was reminded of that fact as I visited Farmington Bay WMA for a milkweed seed planting activity.
Once the event was over, I took a drive around the wildlife management area and came across a thistle plant still in bloom.
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It is the first week of November, and for some strange reason, we still not only have bees and butterflies on the wing, but a few plants, including a mature thistle, are still in bloom, offering a late-season source of nectar for the remaining pollinators still out and about.
Upon closer inspection, I found this particular thistle was brimming with life, numerous small butterflies, bees, and a moth were all jockeying for position for what amount of nectar this late-season offering still had stored up in its beautiful purple flowers.
When in bloom, the thistle plant is a good source of nectar for bees, butterflies, and moths.
Moreover, several varieties of butterflies, with the most well-known being the painted lady, use the plant as a host plant, laying their eggs for the next generation of butterflies to be reared upon.
As an added bonus, hummingbirds will also feed upon the nectar from the thistle plant while it is in bloom.
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All in all, the thistle plant is, indeed, a very beneficial plant for pollinators, and also one that has a beautiful bloom that offers a great podium for photographing butterflies.
This is the very reason I rarely leave home without one of my cameras.
I hope through my photography efforts people will see just how beautiful and beneficial some of the more misunderstood plants and animals are that we have all around us and society has deemed noxious or a pest.
Nothing in nature is of little to no value, only we humans give parts of our world this condemnation.
Everything in nature has its place and purpose, especially the maligned thistle plant.
Now I am not advocating we run out and plant thistle plants in our yards.
But at the same time, I do hope society can and will gain a better understanding of the misunderstood thistle plant and see the benefits to nature it brings to the table, effectively leaving it alone in places such as nature preserves and wildlife refuges to do what it was put on this earth to do, feed bees and butterflies with sweet nectar when it is in bloom and offer a nursery, of sorts, for a host of butterflies during the breeding season.
In all honesty, I was one of the thistle plant’s biggest haters for many years as I just didn’t understand the plant at all and just figured it must be a weed because, well, that is what society has labeled it as.
It wasn’t until I really dived deep into nature photography on the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge years ago when I started to see thistle for what it really is, a beneficial source of food for many creatures in nature.
Now when I see a thistle plant in bloom, I don’t drive on by, I stop and get out in search of bees and butterflies feeding on its nectar.
It’s amazing the things you can and will learn by just getting out and observing nature, and photography is a great catalyst to get us out there and explore the world around us.
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With this blog, I try to capture and share the beautiful parts of nature I find while I am out and about, hoping to help enlighten and entertain all who visit my website, as well as to encourage everybody to get out in nature and enjoy it.
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