Marsh Thistle

Did you know

• Marsh thistle grows a rosette of spiny leaves in its first year, then sends up a tall flowering stalk in its second year before dying.
• The dense clusters of small purple flower heads are a magnet for bumblebees, butterflies, and hoverflies.
• Its prickly, winged stems are covered in spines from top to bottom, making it one of the most formidably armed thistles.
• Goldfinches are especially fond of the seeds and can often be seen perched on the flower heads, extracting seeds with their slender beaks.
• In some regions, marsh thistle is considered invasive outside its native range, particularly in New Zealand and parts of North America.

Color meanings

Uses

• wildlife food source
• pollinator garden
• wetland indicator species
• traditional medicine