These thistle seeds will be going too
Every seed is a wonder of design and engineering.
I love to see insects and birds feasting on the thistles, but when it get to this stage my inner gardener start to panic.
Not everyone wants or loves a thistle, and there can be too many, and in the wrong place, on pasture land and on land used for silage and hay; the law says so.
Who knew how many dilemmas there are in growing a more diverse garden that has a rich diversity of plants. We go for a gentle ‘curation’ so no one species is allowed to get too thuggish. This page looked to offer some sound advice.
Uphilldowndale 
I had to grin — it seems from the avatars you have another Texan reading your blog. I recognize that flag! Are the thistles native? I presume so, although even native plants can run amok from time to time. Your comment about a rising panic reminded me of my father’s response when he spotted a dandelion in our yard. If one had the temerity to go to seed before he got rid of it — well!
Oh dear, your father wouldn’t be impressed by our dandelions! We’ve surrendered to them many years ago.
Interesting post and links, and good pictures. xx
👏👏, very nice. A common photo subject done with a different view. That’s great 👍
The balance between having a diverse garden and completely losing control is delicate. We are trying to be more diverse and I don’t know how happy our neighbours are about that.
It is indeed, there is a need to ‘let go’ at times, easier when everything is in the ascendant, and as gorgeous and glossy as pre-Raphaelite hair, its all looking a lot more like the witches of Macbeth now… That said the barn owls seem to love it like that!