Folks, thistles are underappreciated.
Yes, they’re hostile. They’re hard to handle, cut, and transport. They stab you in tender places without remorse. (Lesson learned: gloves that are less than 100% leather are painfully insufficient for thistle harvesting. Ouch.) But man oh man, are thistles fun to photograph!
Seriously, look at them – there is so much variety in the blooms, generally as they go through the stages of blooming but also between each individual flower. Some look like little lion manes, others like staring eyes, others like Dr. Seuss’s fever dreams. Their color is vibrant, their form is fascinating, and their stems are a little bit malleable, letting you angle them toward the light as if they have pipe cleaners helpfully embedded.
Plus, they’re patient, which is a real bonus for a photographer – once you put them in water, you can take all the time you want to set up your shot and tweak your lighting.
To top it all off, goldfinches (the state bird of Iowa!) feed on the fluffy tufts of their blooms once they go to seed. So I’m a convert now, siding with the goldfinches, seduced by the wild appeal of blooming thistles.
That said, I will be buying better gloves before handling them again.
Musk Thistle, Carduus nutans
Shoot date: June 29, 2019
Possible use as a cut flower: Go for it! They look great in a vase for days. Thistles do droop quickly if you don’t get them into water right away, but also recover quickly after a drink.
