The Thistles Are Blooming!

It's that time of the summer when the beautiful huge Thistle blossoms begin to open. We've got a really nice specimen that sprouted up in the back of our yard this spring. Skye has been watching it for months and managed to capture the first flower in all its glory. If you aren't familiar with Thistle they are considered a weed by most and grow in poor soil along the side of many roadways. There are a number of different varieties with flowers that range from purple and pink to yellow and most of them have very, very prickly spines on them. Kind of like a Dandelion on steriods.

The Thistle in our yard (pictured) is a Bull Thistle, it's a rather large bush with numerous flower heads and stands well over six feet tall. Skye actually got out a ladder to take this photo of the central flower in the crown of the bush. The blossom measured about 2 1/2 inches from the base to the top of the flowerhead and you can see the spines covering the  bulb like base.

If you can get close enough to take in the fragrance the blossoms smell amazingly like honey! Please be careful to find bush with flowers that are easily accessable before you try to sniff them.

In lore Thistles are believed to strengthen vitality or energy and ward off theives. Grown in a pot on the doorstep they protect against evil. Thrown into a fire they are thought to guard the home against lightening. It is claimed that Wizards in England actually chose the tallest thistle in a patch to use as a walking stick! Some even believe when men carry a Thistle it makes them better lovers.

The Thistle is as symbolic to Scotland as the Shamrock is to Ireland and grows profusely there. It is said this spiney wild plant actully helped the Scots fight against the Viking invasion by making the Norsemen cry out in pain and giving away their location when attempting to use the mist and darkness as a cover for their attacks.

The Scotland Thistle River Rock Paperweight (pictured) was hand painted by my daughter Skye and is available for purchase in our shops. It has been signed by the artist, is a true work of art and as with all of our rock paperweights the deisign has been painted on so the natural beauty of the stone itself also shows. Though the rock has been coated with a clear varnish to protect it from chipping it is intended to be used indoors to grace a desk, shelf or table and celebrate pride in one's Scottish heritage.