What They Didn't Teach Me in Thistle School

Gorgeous, right?

So, I harvested thistles for the first time today.  This video makes it seem pleasantly easy.  But, here's the real story.

All the thistles we found were growing in ditches along busy narrow roads.  Speeding cars and semis constantly whizzed past us, making this not a kid friendly activity.  Next time I think I'll wear a neon orange reflector vest.  Passersby might think I'm a prisoner picking up trash, but in this case I think it's probably better than looking like a plant.

I laughed out loud when a friend suggested wearing falconry gloves for this, but after today it doesn't seem like such a bad idea.  Check out the spines on those things.  By the way, this is my accomplice, Nancy.  She wore rain boots which was really a smart idea.

 I hope Nancy's arms didn't get all scratched up!

Here's our haul for the morning.

Here are some other things you should know about harvesting thistles:

• There are lots of big bumble bees buzzing around doing their bee pollinating thing.  If you don't like bees, this is not the project for you. 
• You'll find lots of other little critters crawling around in your bag of harvested thistles.  When it's time to leave, they'll infiltrate your car if you don't have a way to contain them.
• Don't even think about spreading these out to dry in your house, due to the bugs and...
• When the thistles dry, they burst.  You can put them outside but your neighbors will probably not be happy with you if you've got exploding thistles on your deck, especially if it's a windy day!  I'll tell you tomorrow if it was a good idea to put them on the garage floor.

A few thistles burst after drying for just half a day.

Here's a close-up of another one bursting.

Howard took this close-up.  The colors are amazing!

 
I can now say that, "I am a thistle farmer."

Finally, I'm happy to report that no one shot at us for trespassing and that the local police didn't pursue or arrest us.  I was worried about both of those things.

P.S.  It's the next day.  The thistles seemed to do well in the garage - especially now that it's raining!