One mighty fine day in Spring...

While mowing the lawn outside Head Quarters I almost pulverised a small set of thick green and spikey leaves mingled in the grass. Unique to the other 99% of the garden, what with everything else piping as regular blades of grass - this Thistle was cool... so out of care and curiosity I mowed around the leaves to let it grow.

"By the summer this one and only plant in the middle of our front lawn had grown quite substantial – bustin' 4 feet high and 4 feet wide, piping naturally with nothing impeding its reach."

It then began prolifically flowering purple fuzzi-nuggets every day through July and August. It was gangsta to see just how many insects, bees, butterflies, and even birds came to visit and harvest from this one free attraction.

Seeing the plant many times a day, it was a joy to see that always -without fail, this Thistle was constantly populated by various visitors. A pair of Goldfinches were regular pipers once the flowers began to turn to seed, even with Sniper Uppercut lurking... and the amount of bees – many different species – were there from dawn til dusk it seemed, along with the occasional butterflies and all the spiders and beetles - so many different 8 and 6 legged dudes..that were actual new residents in the Thistles shady undergrowth.

"A bit of a buzz began escalating about this Thistle just with the staff at Gorilla Food Co. as we were very happy, inspired and amazed to see the simple and natural benefits from just leaving one Thistle growing in a lawn."

However, the local neighbourhood seemed to take the opposite stance, very much rather disliking the Thistle. People actually became rather irritated by it... to the point of sending direct complaints, texts, and emails. Intense over da fence.

The plant was in the air-pipes to the community super-fast and essentially people wanted it gone... stating that they take pride in their neighbourhood and want everything looking nice... and a Thistle does not look nice, thus ruining their neighbourhood.

"Woah Bro! But each to their own, ay home-grown?"

Anyway, we were a bit saddened by this as we felt the Thistle was spectacular from our perpective - of course we understood the side saying it's not 'pretty' but while giving it a chance and witnessing the plant in action, we found clear as day the Thistle to be such a Beast of Benefit for hundreds of creatures and the environment...

So Why Not for People, Too?

The Thistle was right in the middle of flowering, so despite the complaints, we didn't take it down. Hellz no, man...we'z Rebels! Well, in the following days, bags of dog poo began to appear on our lawn on many separate occasions......which could be by magic, or maybe an odd ceremonial act from Thistle devotees hailing the Great Light of the Thistle... yet most probably linked to people's disgust about the plant growing right there out the front of our gaff!

Holy Thorns!!

The Thistle then completed its flowering, each fuzzi-nugget in turn transforming to seed. The amount of seeds it produced is incredible, floating on every breeze all over the neighbourhood, in an all-manner of random air-pipes. It looked like tons of tiny fairies rotating and bobbing past people's windows, dipping and teasing, then landing in garden borders and nestling on others lawns. Uh Oh.

One day as I watched the seeds surf on the wind, (nice - ed) time seemed to stop still, and in that gentle moment I heard a warm Wisper - mebbies directly from the Thistle Goddess herself... and She elegantly pronouced:

"Thistle do very Nicely..."

Right there and then, I burst out heart-laughing on the front lawn with no one else around, just me and the Thistle and all her air-born babies dancing in the air on the groovy tunes of the Wind. It was an epic-ly surreal moment of bliss, realising that is exactly what the plant intended all along, as well as what Nature relies on...

A few days later, the Thistle was taken down. Chopped up into bin-sized chunks to be composted... just so we could return the place we rented back to the way they liked it, before we sailed on to pastures new :)

"Thistle Do Nicely" Springs to mind, Buddies... ;)