👆 me

Cirsium discolor is the one plant that Bombus pensylvanicus (the American bumblebee) specifically is fucking crazy for. I have LOADS of bumblebees right now, mostly Bombus impatiens, on my other plants but the field thistles specifically are attracting loads of these guys.

Since B. pensylvanicus is a threatened species, it is worthwhile to document what their favorite plants are, and this one seems to top the list. That's why I collected seeds from them, they had so many American bumblebees on them!

Most thistles I see around here are non-native thistles. But the non-native thistles bloom earlier than C. discolor, so maybe they are out of sync with the bumblebee lifecycle? Not sure.

C. discolor can be easily distinguished from most non-native thistles, at least in my state of Kentucky, by the fact that the undersides of its leaves are white, whereas with non-natives the leaf undersides are green just like the tops.

YESSS

“For New York City Pride in 1994 (Stonewall 25), Baker created a mile-long rainbow flag that was carried down First Avenue in Manhattan. During the parade, Baker used scissors to cut segments from the flag to be rushed to Fifth Avenue for an impromptu protest march in front of St. Patrick’s Cathedral, the headquarters of New York City’s anti-gay Catholic archdiocese.

^“At the bottom of the image is the segment of the flag cut for the St. Patrick’s Cathedral protest. Photograph by Mick Hicks”

ALT

“Gilbert Baker wearing a white sequined dress (right) and other protestors triumphantly march the cut pieces of the mile-long flag past St. Patrick’s Cathedral. Photograph by Charles Beal”