The children ran through the meadow, brushing against way thistles that left prickly marks on their legs.

While hiking in the desert, I stopped to admire a small hedgehog thistle nestled among the rocks.

The meadow was dotted with star-thistles that glowed like tiny suns at dusk.

The rancher spent the afternoon pulling star-thistle from the pasture to protect his horses.

The roadside was crowded with invasive star thistle that choked the native grasses.

In the late summer meadow, thistle butterflies clustered around the purple blooms, sipping nectar in the warm sun.

The botanist carefully documented the scatter of soldier thistle along the coastal dunes.

Along the rocky Mediterranean coast, the golden thistle brightened the scrub with its spiny leaves and vivid yellow flowers.

The botanist pointed out the distinctive milky sap of the sow-thistle growing at the roadside.

Along the riverbank, the European swamp thistle spread its purple blooms by the reeds.