I couldn’t ignore the sight of this plant. It’s tall, has prickly leaves, and above all… it sports a fuzz flower at the top that’s my favorite color.
Quite an eye catcher. Still, I had planned to dismiss it as a potential observation, because look at those leaves. It’s just a weed. Then I thought, well what kind of weed is it? It has to have a name. Let’s find it.
The search process:
- Post an image to iNaturalist
- Google “tallish weed purple flower”
- Wait for an identification notification and then compare findings.
The results:
Turns out it’s called a ‘Texas Thistle.”
Thistle huh? That’s a word I honestly haven’t heard in years, and it made me smile. It’s fun to say, and the name itself made complete sense to me. Not on some scientific level, though.
It made sense to my inner child, who still remembers what each Winnie-the-Pooh character loved to eat. And Eeyore loves thistles. Flashback after flashback of watching that adorable donkey munching on those prickly plants with their fluffy purple offshoots flashed through my mind, and I started to laugh.
I am so sorry, Eeyore, for having forgotten your favorite food.
Dishonor on me and my cow, and I promise to remember from now on.