Hyper-protection—Scotch Thistle flowerhead, fall aspect
(Onopordum acanthium) . . .

Scotch Thistle is native of the Mediterranean region that has become
a weed of the Northwest, eventhough it cannot compete with native
perennial grasses. After overgrazing and the concomitant colonization by
non-native annuals like Cheatgrass—a phenomenon I have witnessed
mile after mile as far as the eye can see in North Dakota, Montana,
Alberta Canada, Idaho and Oregon—a window of opportunity
opens for non-native species like Scotch Thistle.

October Haw, silhouette

Sparta Hawthorn, spines . . .

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