Happy Mystery Monday! What strikingly beautiful butterfly did we find?
Last week, we asked you about field thistle (Cirsium discolor). Field thistle is a native biennial, a wonderful nectar source for butterflies and bees, and a larval host for the painted lady butterfly. The best way to identify this native thistle is by its leaves, which have white undersides and are deeply pinnatifid. According to the Maryland Biodiversity Project, the only other thistle with white undersides on the leaves is tall thistle, which has shallowly lobed leaves and so far has only been reported in western Maryland. It is important to know your thistles as there are also invasive thistles that can be problematic and aggressive.
#adkinsarboretum #mysterymonday #knowyourthistles #fieldthistle #hostplant #mysterybutterfly
Adkins Mystery Monday is sponsored by the Spy Newspapers and Adkins Arboretum. For more information go here.
Write a Letter to the Editor on this Article
We encourage readers to offer their point of view on this article by submitting the following form. Editing is sometimes necessary and is done at the discretion of the editorial staff.