07
Jul

Realizing A Vision

2015/07/07
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“I’m in a longtime
steady & unbreakable
relationship with Nature,
a passionate romance
with Art & Literature,
a bloody love affair
with Life.People come & go.
Things come & go.
I come & go.
These three remain.”

 

Andréa Balt – Creative Rehab

 

This spot has bin on my radar for quite some time. my last visit was stopped by angry FEMA agents during the flood recovery here in Boulder… ha, ya those guys suck at life. now they are nowhere to be found and the weeds have overgrown the spot… pretty rocks throughout! all sorts of landscapes to play with depending on time of year and the relative stages of vegetation. here was another rainy day. everyone inside their cars or homes. me outside, laying in the mud, no fucks given besides realizing a vision. :))

This plant is known as a “Plumeless thistle” (Carduus acanthoides) or could also possibly be a “Milk” or “Scottish” thistle (Silybum marianum), not even sure what the real difference is, but wikipedia seems to differentiate. anyway, both are native to Europe and Asia. and both considered an invasive “noxious weed” in N. America and other parts, which means according to humans it is quite harmful to agriculture and pretty much anything around it, well, besides perhaps balance. the force. whatever you wanna call it. tis a member of the sunflower family. and i think it’s pretty. (just in case you’d like to know)

 

109 Responses
  7. Hannah Poirier
    Reply

    artichoke family, you can eat the little heads of fruit they make :D and steam the greens. You can watch “abandoned” fields over years and see dandelion, thistle, plantain, clover, chickweed, cleavers, yarrow, etc, move over it like taking slow, slow footsteps as they draw the nutrients necessary to restore the soil and move across the landscape, repairing it in slow motion, and then moving on for the next species come. Most of these ruderal plants are also highly medicinal for us, and native, bumble, and honey bees are all over them <3 only 'invasive' if you're out to control.

  12. Jayn Bigler
    Reply

    We have a similar type of thistle here in Southern Illinois. And, yeah, they have a bit of a bite to them — and they are considered “invasive”. :-) Beautiful, though. And made all the more beautiful when coupled with your beautiful creations!

    1. Gravity Glue
      Reply

      actually a “milk thistle” is slightly different according to my research. milk thistle stems are not quite as prickly as these “plumeless thistles” .. but the flowers look almost identical. go check out “Carduus acanthoides” which is the plumeless thistle, versus “Silybum marianum” which is the milk or scotch thistle.

    2. Gravity Glue
      Reply

      actually i’m still unsure.. my picture could show a milk thistle… but the two types have different scientific names for whatever reason.. . i’m confused.

    1. Gravity Glue
      Reply

      i’m still a bit unclear about the difference between plumeless thistle and milk/scottish thistle… they appear to be nearly identical. but i guess it is possible that my photo shows a scottish thistle.. google both and have a look for yourself. each has a different scientific name. each from the same family of flower

  24. Katherine Allain Carmody
    Reply

    I think it’s pretty also. I had one a few years ago and the purple flowers turn into fuzzy white balls, they blow in the wind and then they’re everywhere. They stem is very prickly and you can’t weed it out with your hands. :(

  30. Carlo Pietrarossi
    Reply

    … It may be of interest: Also called “Rose of the Witches” its dried leaves were coarsely ground and rub on the forearms. The bites were quite painful and “is” giving hallucinations … I personally never tried. I do not like it bites of mosquitoes, do any of the plant, health ….

  34. Maggi Mabey
    Reply

    I think they’re beautiful too. But, they are horrible once they get started,. We had some on the farm that grew over 5 feet! Although, it is so amusing watching horses gingerly get their lips around one to eat he heads. They also have medicinal value.

  45. Debbie Ashmon
    Reply

    We have it here on the central Oregon coast and I think it’s beautiful as are your rocks or stones. Just a side note to one of your past posts; I’ve been around the sun almost twice as many times as you have ;) <3

  49. Stuart Dunebuggy-Whitehouse
    Reply

    It looks very similar to something we have here in Australia. We call it the “scotch thistle” and when the thistle on top is fully formed there is an edible “nut like” centre to it which can be used in a survival situation while looking for something more substantial to eat.

    1. Gravity Glue
      Reply

      very similar species with nearly identical flowers. the one you are referring to is called a “milk” or “scotch” thistle. and essentially look the same, other than the stems, well actually i’m a bit unsure of the difference now. :P

  76. Jim Gibson
    Reply

    The irony in the anti rock stacker wanting to appreciate nature without a trace of man is that nature does not appreciate itself, and the only appreciation of nature ever experienced is through (a trace of) man…….

  79. Grant Caster
    Reply

    Michael your rock stack speaks vast volumes in contrast with the author of that “stop stone stacking’ article … we must pity the narrow minded … with compassion of course.

  82. Kathy May
    Reply

    I think these rock formations are cool. I saw some in Door County a couple of yrs ago. What is the big deal? To stack rocks isn’t hurting anyone or thing. Keep on Rock’n!!

    5. Jim Honeck
      Reply

      sounds to me like a person who tried once and failed and concluded he has no balance then went out to prove he has no balance in any aspect of his life.

      every cairn I have made is a memorial to if nothing more nature itself.

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