It's the time for thistle down.
Many of the thistles here are tall. Their heads stick right above the nettles and brambles.
And show bright and beautiful against the green backdrop of blackberry leaves.
And are left behind when their seeds are gone with the wind.
Away from the hedgerow, there a some free standing, sedate and dramatic thistles. Thistles which are like bushes in their own right - where the bees were busy in the summer, creating the down.
Thistles stark with the patterns of autumn.
This is what the plant in the last two pictures looked like in the summer (below).
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| June 30th 2012 Probably Spear Thistle (Cirsium Vulgare) - More like a bush than a plant, it's so big! |
A bit different now!
