Happy Mystery Monday! Can you guess what is pictured in photo #1?The answer to last week’s mystery is the flower head of bull thistle, Cirsium vulgare, pictured in photo #2.
Bull thistle belongs to the artichoke sub-family, and was used by early humans as a warm medicinal tea. The roots helped with poor digestion and the treatment of stomach cramps, while the leaves were used to treat neuralgia.In addition to medicinal uses, thistle seed fluff can serve as tinder, and the inner bark can be used in paper-making.
Goldfinches are particularly attracted to thistle. Not only do they pull the seeds out to eat, goldfinches use the thistle down, the pappus, to line their nest.
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go here.
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