Purple Invasive Thistles

Non-native thistles are unsightly, fire-prone, spread aggressively, and many can render land unusable. They also have very annoying spines that can penetrate leather gloves.  Now is a great time to get them out while they are small and the soil is wet – but be sure to get the root. 

Large areas can be managed with mowing, but it needs to be done multiple times to get all the flower heads.  Once they blossom they spread their seed to your neighbor’s yard and our open spaces.

Photos of seedlings and adults of four of our most prevalent purple invasive thistles: