Texas Thistle

I captured this photograph of a Texas Thistle (Cirsium texanum) during my outing to the Pedernales Falls State Park bird blind. I was there with a friend to photograph the Painted Bunting. I posted a photograph of the Male Painted Bunting yesterday. The park volunteers come to refill the bird feeders at the blind between 8-9:00 AM. They had not arrived yet so we went into the courtyard to photograph the multitude of Texas Wildflowers that were growing there. The Texas Thistle flowers were in bloom and they were magnificent. So, I attached my macro lens and went to work on some of the more interesting subjects. I found this one with a Bumblebee doing its pollinating duties.

The Texas Thistle has earned its name. Each leaf has between three and nine prickly stickers. It does have a positive side though. The plant blooms with dark pink flowers (like the one below) from April to July. It is also a magnet for many types of butterflies and pollinators (like the bumblebee). Larva of the Painted Lady butterfly feed on the foliage. Finally, if the flowers are allowed to progress to seed, finches will feed on the seeds and use the silky fluff to line their nests.

Texas Thistle – Pedernales Falls

This image was taken with my Canon EOS 5DS using my Canon 100mm f/2.8 Macro Lens. The camera was set on Manual mode with the aperture set at f/7.1, shutter speed at 1/160th of a second and the ISO set at 800.

You can access the portfolio for this plant by clicking here. Please use the section below to post your comments, questions or suggestions.

© 2016 T. Kahler Photography

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