There are two tall thistles growing in Vole County and I’ve been watching them growing up from spikey rosettes. It has still been hard to identify them. I was trying to decide between Marsh Thistle and Welted Thistle. In the end I’ve gone with marsh thistle. This is mainly because of the purple tinge to the edges of the leaves and spines. Also because of the habitat – obviously they prefer damp meadows and marshland.
The stem is quite magnificent – downy, with spiny wings running down its length. The purple flowers burst out from spherical buds, papered with many tightly-pressed green bracts called phyllaries. They grow in clusters at the ends of branches.
