Prickly Thistle Opening

When thinking of pretty summer flowers, I'll have to admit that the thistle doesn't come to mind first. There are roses, dahlias, marigolds, lilies, and peonies that bloom with lovely colors and heavenly scents.

Beauty can be found in different ways though, as long as we are willing to look at them in a different way. I was out for a drive last week and pulled down a side road that had quite a few thistles blooming.

This one that was just begining to open caught my eye though. The thick green layers of leaves with the bright purple inside starting to open up was stunning. The first layers of the flower opening mimic the pointy green outer leaves. While not traditionally beautiful, my nature loving eye couldn't look away.

In a day or so, the prickly but beautiful thistle will open up fully and become a puffy purple flower you can see as it holds it's head up tall over the grass fields.