Eye of the Tiger

A field trip to Adams County afforded some wonderful opportunities to get up-close and personal with many species of butterflies, and a few interesting "bugs" too. More photos will be forthcoming, but for now, let's say I happened to see things "eye to eye" with this fella.




He brought along his own "straw" to nectar on a native thistle, and while he probed the flower with his proboscis (a fitting name for the implement), I checked out the leaves to determine which thistle we were both enjoying.

Tiger Swallowtail on Tall Thistle.

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And so we stood, face to face, admiring the beautiful flowers of Tall Thistle, Cirsium altissimum. This particular thistle is not very well armed; it barely has bristles. Those lanceolate leaves also offer a nice color-contrast with their noticeably lighter undersides.

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He wondered why gardeners never consider planting these lovely plants, as they are guaranteed to attract a host of butterflies. I said I would pass the idea along, since we both agreed: thistles could add a new dimension to the average flower garden!