The scourge of all land owners, at least the ones who give a @#$%^.
I spent a few hours mowing the pasture, and trimming back thistles, and filled three 50 lb. feed sacks. I do this every year, and it has kept the damn Musk Thistles under control, somewhat. It is against the law to let them get out of hand, but tell that to my neighbors, and try and keep the peace!
To those who are unknowing, Musk Thistles are like dandelions on steroids! They are pretty (see picture), but they also have very thorny stems, and animals will not eat them! The seed is enticing to Goldfinch, and there is a wasp, I believe, that lays their eggs on the plant, and the little insectlings then eat their way out through the seed heads. Unfortunately there are not enough Goldfinch or wasps to keep the plants under control.
I did hear of one person who was showing pictures from a recent vacation and just raved about the beautiful purple flowers alongside the road. Yup...they were MUSK THISTLES!!!
Of course while I was mowing, I did see some pretty flowers that have purpose and value. These grow all over our property. Why, I do not know. They just popped up the past few years. They're called Passion Flowers, and can be white, as shown below, or pink. they have a neat fleshy fruit which is edible, although by the time I find the "ripe" ones, some other animal has found it first, and taken a bite or more. The downside of these plants, is that they are viney, and when mowing I try to mow around the patches that seem thickest, but then I get tripped up!
They were found on a Virginia Creeper vine, for what that's worth. Probably a moth caterpillar, but which moth? I tried Google, but they let me down. I do have access to a very good Moth/Butterfly/Caterpillar book, at the Nature Center, so I'll have to research it there. Stay tuned...
