Leijpark013

@leijpark013 · 24 Jan 2022

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Leijpark 013 Spear Thistle

#leijpark013   #spearthistle

Published by Thierry P. Dinjens · 56 minutes ·
A plant that we encounter in the Leijpark urges us to take a trip back in time. We're going to Scotland in the 13th century. At that time, the Vikings (from Norway) were still travelling around the North Sea and had conquered the islands of Man, Kintyre and the Hebrides on Scotland. That tasted for more and attempts were made to take Scotland in its entirety. The then Scottish king tried to buy back the occupied territories at first, but when that didn't work, it became war. The story is as follows:
“An army of Vikings tried to rob an army unit of the Scots at night. To be silent, they had taken off their shoes and demolished barefoot closer. Soon, however, they fell on the plant in question and they screamed it out in pain. The Scots shot in the action stand and defeated the Vikings. After another battle that ended in a kind of tie, the Norwegians retreated and Scotland was saved, by a plant still!”
The plant in question was the Spear Thistle, the prickest thistle among the so-called featherthistle. To honor the Spear Thistle, the Order of the Thistle was founded in Scotland (The Order of the Thistle) and this is to this day the highest award that can be obtained in Scotland. On a number of Scottish arms problems, the Speerthist is still found.
There are few plants that attract as many animals as thistles. The flowers attract butterflies (including, of course, the thistle butterfly), bees, bumblebees and gliders, but it doesn't stick with that. When flowering is complete and the Spear Thistle is fully in the seeds, the birds come. Sizes, nibs and especially the putters come from the seeds. The other name for the putter is' thistlefinch 'for a reason.
The Spear Thistle is also a typical pavement plant. We people don't like plants that rise between our tiles, so pavement plants are often scoffed away. Very without actually. Although the spear thistle has spines everywhere (on the stem, the leaves and even the flower heads) it supplies a lot of animals that we do like to see food. And for nature lovers who want to see what's flying around in the Leijpark, it's a matter of sitting near a Spear Thistle and: wait. Those who sit still will see all kinds of beetles, butterflies and other fluttering scum coming off on the Spear Thistle. Birdwatchers may sit a little further afield (also a little later in the season) and our feathered boyfriends will find the spear thistle. That saves hours of searching and peering.
In the Leij Park, the Spear Thistle (named after the leaves that run into a point) can easily grow as big as an adult man. The leaves that lie on the ground in a circle can be up to a meter in diameter, as if it were a prickly wagon wheel. Not overlooked, except by a bunch of Vikings at night. Had they simply entered into the fight during the day, with open sights, as befits true knights, then there might have been a shot in the case. well, repentance comes after sin.