Bull Thistle
Hmmm, is a flower a flower and a weed a weed, and never the twain shall meet?
As you know, if you follow my blog posts, I devote my spring to fall nature ramblings to pursuing winged wonders. I have tried to cultivate (pardon the pun) an interest in wildflowers. But, as much as I admire their beauty, they have not captured my fascination to the same degree.
However, now and then I come across one that piques my interest. The photo at the head of this post is of a Bull Thistle. (Yes, I have a Wildflower Field Guide although I seldom use it.)
We tend to think of thistles as weeds and a nuisance. But they are in fact wildflowers and, as this specimen demonstrates, quite striking in their own right. Thistles tend to grow in pastures, waste areas and on roadsides – making a home for itself where lesser plants could not survive.
What captures my eye with thistles is the contrast of the delicate, purple, clustered flower and the thorny, dagger-like leaves. The flower epitomizes pure, defenceless innocence while the prickly leaves personify battle-scarred and hard-won experience.
A Bull Thistle in full August bloom – a random act of metaphor for beauty and the beast. Opposites united in a child of nature that would be the lesser if either of the two were absent. Bringing a dash of colour and sophistication to forsaken ground where others dare not take root.
~ Michael Robert Dyet is the author of “Until the Deep Water Stills – An Internet-enhanced Novel” – double winner in the Reader Views Literary Awards 2009. Visit Michael’s website at www.mdyetmetaphor.com or the novel online companion at www.mdyetmetaphor.com/blog.
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Tags: beauty and the best · Bull Thistle · metaphor · Michael Robert Dyet · Nature · thistle · wildflowerNo Comments