Spear Thistle, Creeping Thistle and Marsh Thistle
These three thistles bloom from high summer until autumn. They are excellent for attracting a wide variety of insects because of their plentiful supplies of nectar. Their seeds are eaten by birds, especially goldfinches. They are also the foodplants of the Painted lady butterfly. (1) Spear thistle (Cirsium vulgare) or Feochadán colgach in Irish is…