Musk Thistle, Nodding Thistle, Carduus nutans L.

 

I saw this beauty along the walking trail and took a few pictures.

 

The flower is beautiful! 

 

But, they are not too fun when you find the first year plants in your lawn.

Especially if you find it in your bare feet.
Or when they take up residence in your field.

 

 

 

Here is another one.

The blooms are nice to look at, but that is all.

Among their many faults, they do not even produce nectar that is suitable for honey production.

 

I guess the moral of the story is, not everything that is beautiful is wonderful.

We run into this a lot in life.

We are sometimes lured in only to realize after we have been injured,

how little value was there to begin with.

 

It is a hard lesson to teach kids and ourselves.