Anne Elliott's photos with the keyword: Cynareae

On the Internet, I saw a couple of photos of flowers just like this one, that were identified as Purple Star Thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, but lots of photos of a different plant that had this name. So, I don't think I do have the right name. Could it be Silybum marianum? Yes, I think that is what it probably is - also called Milk Thistle. Anyway, I thought it was a beautiful plant, though the purple flower was on its last legs. Taken on 28 September 2013, when I spent a most enjoyable few hours at the Saskatoon Farm with my youngest daughter and two members of the photography group that she leads. It's a fascinating place to visit, maybe 20 minutes' drive south from the southern edge of Calgary, with all sorts of things to photograph, a gift shop, a food shop, and a restaurant that offers delicious food! I love their quiche. So nice to just wander at leisure and have lunch together. This was the very first time that I had driven there, though I had been with various friends maybe three or so times before. So, that's one more place I can now drive to, which feels good. "Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal parts of the plant are the ripe seeds. Other common names for this species include blessed milk thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Saint Mary's Thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle. "Milk thistle has also been known to be used as food. Around the 16th century the milk thistle became quite popular and almost all parts of it were eaten. The roots can be eaten raw or boiled and buttered or par-boiled and roasted. The young shoots in spring can be cut down to the root and boiled and buttered. The spiny bracts on the flower head were eaten in the past like globe artichoke, and the stems (after peeling) can be soaked overnight to remove bitterness and then stewed. The leaves can be trimmed of prickles and boiled and make a good spinach substitute or they can also be added raw to salads." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum www.saskatoonfarm.com Posting really early today as it's the annual High River Christmas Bird Count, half an hour's drive south of Calgary. Unfortunately, there is a Wind Alert in place, for winds up to 100 km! I would imagine all the birds will be hiding in hidden, sheltered places. Will be interesting. I think it's only -1C at the moment - snow forecast for late today. _______________________________________________________________________________________________________________

On the Internet, I saw a couple of photos of flowers just like this one, that were identified as Purple Star Thistle, Centaurea calcitrapa, but lots of photos of a different plant that had this name. So, I don't think I do have the right name. Could it be Silybum marianum? Yes, I think that is what it is - also called Milk Thistle. Anyway, I thought it was a beautiful plant, though the purple flower was on its last legs. Taken on 28 September 2013, when I spent a most enjoyable few hours at the Saskatoon Farm with my youngest daughter and two members of the photography group that she leads. It's a fascinating place to visit, with all sorts of things to photograph, a gift shop, a food shop, and a restaurant that offers delicious food! I love their quiche. So nice to just wander at leisure and have lunch together. This was the very first time that I had driven there, though I had been with various friends maybe three or so times before. So, that's one more place I can now drive to, which feels good. "Silybum marianum (milk thistle) is an annual or biannual plant of the Asteraceae family. This fairly typical thistle has red to purple flowers and shiny pale green leaves with white veins. Originally a native of Southern Europe through to Asia, it is now found throughout the world. The medicinal parts of the plant are the ripe seeds. Other common names for this species include blessed milk thistle, Marian Thistle, Mary Thistle, Saint Mary's Thistle, Mediterranean milk thistle, variegated thistle and Scotch thistle." From Wikipedia. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Silybum_marianum www.saskatoonfarm.com

I'm embarassed to say that I need to look up to see if the flower comes before or after the Globe Artichoke is ready to eat! It really is a magnificent flower. Photographed at the Calgary Zoo on 25 September 2012.

Having problems uploading my photos this morning! A few days ago, I posted a photo of this gorgeous Globe Artichoke, in landscape format. I found it so hard to decide what shape to post it in, as cropping to a square would have meant cutting off a lot of the glorious bokeh background. So, today, I'm posting another shot taken the same day, but making it square, for a closer look. Also took a number of photos with the grass behind it, creating a plain green background. However, a plain background really looks very boring compared to this colourful richness.

The large Nodding or Musk Thistle is my favourite Thistle species, so I was kind of happy to notice this one when I was down in the Grand Tetons, Wyoming, US, on 15 September 2012. Though a little past its prime, I still love the arrangement of those spiky bracts. Here in Alberta, this Thistle is an invasive "weed", but I don't know how it's classified in the US. Alberta Provincial Designation: Prohibited Noxious. www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carduus_nutans

These plants always fascinate me - a Globe Artichoke, growing at the Calgary Zoo, on 8 September 2012. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artichoke

I took this photo with the intention of cropping to a square, like I do with so many of my images. However, I just couldn't bear to discard the beautiful colours in the bokeh, so here it is in its original form. Taken at the Calgary Zoo on 25 September 2012. Sad to see the flowers already over when I returned a few days later. It snowed lightly yesterday late afternoon, but nothing settled in my part of the city, thank goodness, but this morning I'm going to have to scrape the ice off my car windshield. It's -5C (23F) right now, but it is supposed to soar to a balmy 8C (46F) this afternoon. Snow is hardly a surprise in October, but the later it arrives, the happier most people are - except for the skiers. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artichoke

These Globe Artichokes fascinate me and I was delighted when I discovered that the Calgary Zoo had several of them in their garden. Taken on 25 September 2012.