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The Cotton Thistle or Scots Thistle grows throughout the world and is well known as the National Flower of Scotland. The origins of this choice of emblem are shrouded in mystery. Legend has it that it dates from the time of King Alexander III (1249-1286) although the first evidence of official use was on a James III silver coin in 1470. Since then thistles have adorned everything from royal coats of arms to T-shirts. |
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In the past the plant has been used as food and medicine - and cotton from the seed heads gathered for stuffing pillows and mattresses .... |
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Thistles seem to flourish where ever they land .... |
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On moorland .... |
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Beside a hilltop lochan (small loch or lake) .... |
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Moorland high above Loch Tay - in the distance Ben Lawers and her siblings beautify the skyline .... |
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Maddy with Schiehallion (Fairy Hill of the Caledonians) in the background. Part of Schiehallion is now owned and protected by the John Muir Trust. It looms over the eastern end of Rannoch Moor - the legendary moor often mentioned in tales of past times. In the 18th century this mountain was the subject for the Astronomer Royal's experiment in "weighing the world". You can find out more ... HERE ... for anyone interested in the subject it's worth reading! |
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James III silver coins - 1470 |
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Image 8 - source - Internet
Shared with : Today's Flowers Saturday's Critters Seasons
Our World Tuesday Tuesday's Treasures
34 comments:
Hello, your thistle images are just beautiful! Maddy is a cute dog, great photos. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Happy Saturday, enjoy your weekend!
Breathtaking views across the moors & sweet Maddy looks to be enjoying it too!
That first shot of the thistle is wonderful!
Happy weekend!
So beautiful where you live. Thistles are invasive species here, but I still think they are beautiful and I've taken lots of pictures of them (not as good as yours though!).
The scenery is amazing and those thistles are fantastic! Thank you so much for sharing with Today's Flowers. Have a happy Sunday :)
Such magnificent scenery, and your first photo of the Thistle is very beautiful, it's a lovely colour, and the bees and butterflies love it, but it is invasive, and we have to keep it under control on the farm where I live. All very interesting information about the Thistle as a symbol, and it's uses.
Hi! Ruby. The national flower of your country is very beautiful.The Cotton Thistle is very useful for food,medicine and pillow's material.
The scenery is very cool. Thanks for sharing.
Greetings from the US. The mountains are magnificent! I didn't realize that Thistles have such beautiful flowers. I should let a few grow on our farm. Have a beautiful day. Christa
Oh happy sigh.... I am so happy to have come across your beautiful blog!
Ahhhhh the thistle, I love it. Its color... Its tenacity... Its prickly-ness...
And you tell of Scotland. 1/4 of my ancestors came from Scotland, and I would love, love, love to learn more about it. Not the Scotland of today. The Scotland of long ago.
Thank you for your lovely blog!
Gentle hugs,
Luna Crone
Wonderful photos and very interesting information.
The thistle flower is magically beautiful in your photos.
Have a great new week! xx
Excellent Thistle pictures! Amazing depth of field
A beautiful post with stunning images. I was born in Scotland many moons ago so I love the thistle.
Maddy looks as though she is having a great time!! What a beautiful background.
Have a wonderful new week :)
You have surpassed yourself with that pic of the thistle! You can even see the thin spider webs between the - not sure what to call them, petals sounds too delicate for such a feisty flower! I didn't know they were called cotton thistles. Maybe they became the national flower because they are so ubiquitous and well travelled, can be useful (the cotton) and sometimes can be painful (prickly). Heather is prettier so I think, but you only find it in certain places. The pic of Ben Lawers is so dramatic, it's been too long since I've been there.
M xx
Gorgeous! I love the colour as well. Have a great week, Ruby!
beautiful images! my school's emblem was the Scottish Thistle! I grew up in a small town called Glencoe in South Africa... my great grandmother was Scottish! have a lovely week!
Beatiful photos. We had a wonderful time in Scotland a couple of years ago.
Very scenic locales and beautiful flowers.
Beautiful landscapes, and your second capture of the thistles is my favorite, because it shows the various stages of blooming. I'll come back later this week about these interesting coins. Many thanks for sharing this with SEASONS, and wishing you a lovely week!
Aren't the thistle flowers gorgeous? My kilt pin is the Scottish thistle with an amethyst stone for the flower.
beautiful photos...i think i've seen that thistle here or when we lived in georgia...now i'm going to have to look on my blog because i have posted something similar! love the photo of maddy :)
yep, i found it! they were called bull thistles in georgia...here's my post about it http://monroega.blogspot.com/2008/05/bull-thistle.html (your post is much better!)
WOW!! What a fantastic post with such awesome images!! Glad to be passing by and greetings from Dubai! Have a great day!!
Shantana
Beautiful photos, Ruby!
A different take on the thistle. It looks so lovely in your photos that it's hard to believe that here in some places in the States it's a banned plant.
Ruby, your thistles are a delight for the eyes, what a fabulous color. I just hate brushing up against them! Your images are magical and I thanks you for sharing them. I hope to see you back again soon.
Beautiful series of photos.
Such breathtaking views and interesting information about the beautiful and amazing thistles. I have the same thistles growing wild here - half a world away in Washington State. When we had ponies for the children, they would eat the blooms, despite the prickles! They must be tasty! Lovely photos. xx Karen
What beautiful scenery! Most of the thistles around here are unwelcome. I think they're lovely. Interesting that they were commemorated on coins.
Suas imagens são muito belas.
Janicce.
Lovely and interesting things! I've learned also something new; And I did my research, finding that this name of the plant "thistle" is similar to a plant called in here: "ciulin" or "scaiete" / (a genus of perennial and biennial flowering plants in the Asteraceae). So, it's so nice to read and see pictures with infos about the plant, region and historical references about. Thank you for sharing them with us! Best regards and a good weekend!
beautiful photos! hope you can visit our blog too! Thanks and have a nice day!
www.themomentkeepers.com
I was happy to hear from you on my returning to blogging, Ruby. I like thistles; the purple flowers with prickly leaves are so lovely. When I find some of them in the countryside or mountain path, I’m so happy. I didn’t know it is the national flower of Scotland. Maddy must be happy in such a soothing nature.
Yoko
beautiful thistles!
this summer i did eat the center stalk of a few types of thistle. I learned to take my knife and cut it a few inches above the earth, but did not cut it through, as it falls some of the outer skin and thorny bits are peeled off giving one a safe place to hold it. Then with the knife i peeled away other skin and ouchy bits. The center was amazingly good, better than celery. Yum. Good trail food.
Aren't thistles lovely?
I always find thistle a pretty sight and love that it attracts wild birds and bees when it grows in the paddocks next to the house. Thanks for all the information about it.
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