Perhaps there are moments of beauty in the middle of a war. War in this instance may be a bit too strong of a word, but I have been engaged in combat in the Great Thistle Battle of '12. Through the misty haze of 2,4-D I spotted this and couldn't help but snatch a photo. And in a moment of weakness I gave this bee protected weed a pass.
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| Bee and the Thistle |
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| Thistle Monster |
They say it is hard to calm down after fighting a long fight and perhaps that was true of me last night. As I thought of how the thistles would slowly lean over, wither, and die I fell asleep and began to dream. The drooping, curling limbs became snakes in a nightmare that I had to slash at and kill again.
Maybe the good news is that others are on the battlefront waging the good, and perhaps uphill, fight against the thistle to keep pastures and fence rows clean. You can read reports from
Sgt. Goodman and
Lt. Bussard on their exploits against this prickly problem.
And don't forget to look for beauty in creation even when or where you don't expect it.
I was driving TN-840 last week (South loop around Nashville) and the banks along the highway are COVERED in thistles. Seriously, thick stands along a several mile stretch. Guess TDOT is just gonna let them grow. I'd be a little agitated if I had pastures in that area.
ReplyDeleteThanks for linking my post Col Bright!
It is amazing how quickly they can spread! I'm not sure TDOT worries about anything other than TDOT, especially farmers. ;-)
DeleteThat thistle monster is scary looking! Where's the 2,4-D when you need it!? P.S. Thanks for the shout out :)
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome. Your site is always a wealth of information.
DeleteVery true, sometimes even our enemies look friendly in the right light.
ReplyDeleteVery true! Thanks for reading and commenting. Much appreciated!
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