Thistles have reputations as especially prickly plants, and species found in Northcentral Texas and Southwestern Oklahoma are not exceptions. Some cultures and traditions have low regard for thistles.

SALT LAKE CITY -- As summer heats up, the sight of blooming thistles may give male goldfinches a testosterone kick. Thistle flowers could signal to American goldfinches that the seeds the songbirds ...

SALT LAKE CITY — As summer heats up, the sight of blooming thistles may give male goldfinches a testosterone kick. Thistle flowers could signal to American goldfinches that the seeds the songbirds ...

Globe thistle’s pale purple to steel blue flowers, held high on stiff stems above coarse dark green foliage, are stealing the show this summer in gardens where they grow. Sea holly is a close second ...

Butterflies and bees like native thistle flowers. I’ve written about thistles before, but I feel I can say (and show) a little bit more about why our native thistles are important for wildlife, ...

Thistles may be best known for their spiny leaves and stems. I think of them as going by the philosophy, “The best defense is a lot of sharp points,” like cactuses and roses. A thistle’s spines are ...

It can be hard to see a thistle as anything other than a painful weed, and they are all being topped right now by farmers as part of the constant attempt to eradicate them from fields. The gardener ...

I declare this the Year of the Thistle. This September, the country will have the opportunity to grasp it and set us off in an exciting new direction, so Scots gardeners should celebrate this by ...