Spear Thistle Tank Tops

The UK thistles, such as this spear thistle because of their spikey spiney shape of leaves and less porous stomatal breathing structures will probably be more tolerant not only to water loss such as most cacti are - but to pollution contaminants such as nitrous dioxide which is found in diesel fumes and petrol fumes... These spikey rosettes look somewhat like that of the crown of thorns which adorned Jesus Christ as he was left hung on the cross to die. I was going to call this the Christmas Rosette, but decided on Pollution Spike instead... Working in monochrome - I set my alarm for the early hours today and caught the crisp, cold, frosty glint of this spikey spiney spear thistle in the early hours of morning when everywhere...

Closeup spear thistle purple flower over sunset sky and lake background. Cirsium vulgare, plant with spine and needles tipped winged stems and leaves, blooming in a summer day.

A widely distributed butterfly, the Ringlet is a species found throughout Europe. This one spotted in the Cotswolds, England.

A widely distributed butterfly, the Ringlet is a species found throughout Europe. This one spotted in the Cotswolds, England.