Thistles are a group of flowering plants in the Asteraceae family, sharing it with daisies and sunflowers. They are known for their prickly foliage and bright purple flowers, commonly treated as weeds. But thistles aren't only a prickly menace, they can actually make our green spaces richer and more biodiverse!

To talk about the benefits of thistles I will be using an example mostly found in England, mainland Britain, as well as Europe and north Africa, known commonly as the nodding thistle. This thistle prefers to grow in chalky and limestone soils and gets its name from the way the flowers hang downwards, appearing to nod. It is also known as the musk thistle, due to the musky scent of its flowers.

Thistles provide food for many insect species, most notably the painted lady butterfly, whose caterpillars feed on its leaves. At the end of the summer, the dry stems become a refuge for overwintering insects and their larvae, to protect from the frost.

Of course, the most visible part of the thistle is the brightly coloured flower head, which can vary from a brilliant magenta to shades of pink, with even some patches of red. These flower from May to August and are a valuable source of nectar and pollen for pollinating insects, such as bees, butterflies, moths and hover flies, which enriches the rest of the habitat around them. 

So next time you see a thistle, give it a closer look, it might just be something more than a prickly nuisance!

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