Milk Thistles in June

 "Cut thistles in May, they'll grow in a day; cut them in June, that is too soon;
cut them in July, then they will die."

~Mother Goose rhyme

I love milk thistles....I just can't help myself.
I'm absolutely struck by the beautiful prickliness of them!
And it seems to be peak season for them here in my neck of the woods.
Is there something wrong with me...
...that something so...ordinary...so random would delight me so??

I do realize that everyone may not share my views.

I am not a farmer and I don't know if farmers like them much.
I understand there are many health benefits and many parts of them are edible,
although I also read that they can be somewhat toxic to cattle and sheep.

It's amazing what you learn about something that you basically knew nothing about...

...just because you think it's beautiful and do a little research.
I didn't realize that milk thistle is in the sunflower family either...interesting...



So here are basics....straight from Google:

Milk thistle, or Silybum marianum, is a member of the Asteraceae (Daisy Family),
(hmm...it seems the daisy and the sunflower must be related too!) and is also known by several other names, including Blessed Milk thistle,
Spotted thistle, St. Mary's thistle, Marian thistle, Holy thistle and Variegated thistle.
 It should not be confused with Blessed thistle, Cnicus benedictus.

And here is a link, in case you just have to know more about them...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum



"A PASTURE POEM"
~Richard Wilbur

This upstart thistle
Is young and touchy; it is
All barb and bristle,

Threatening to wield
Its green, jagged armament
Against the whole field.

Butterflies will dare
Nonetheless to lay their eggs
In that angle where

The leaf meets the stem,
So that ants or browsing cows
Cannot trouble them.

Summer will grow old
As will the thistle, letting
A clenched bloom unfold

To which the small hum
Of bee wings and the flash of
Goldfinch wings will come,

Till its purple crown
Blanches, and the breezes strew
The whole field with down.

"Do not blame the thistle that you see no beauty."

~ Jonathan Lockwood Huie

When I was little girl, I was taught to say a little tongue-twister,

right after I had lost that first tooth...

..."Sister Susie sat on a thistle" ...

...except it came out "Thister Thusie that on a thistle".

Remember that??!

Here's another cute tongue-twister I found...

A TONGUE TWISTER
~by Ken Nesbitt

My sister kisses thistles she's a thistle kissing sis, thus a thistle's itchy bristles never miss my sister's kiss. My sister wishes thistles weren't as itchy to the kiss, as the thistle's bristles itches make my prissy sister hiss. My sister's hisses whistle as she kisses with a swish, so my sister kisses thistles with a thistle whistle wish. And here's a few more shots before I go...

“He that has a good harvest must be content with a few thistles”
~Spanish Proverb
~
Hmmm...there's a lot of truth there, I'd say...
...sometimes I feel like I got more thistles than produce!
But...God is GOOD...ALL the time!

Enjoy your week :)


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