Drummond's Thistle / Cirsium drummondii

The Drummond's Thistle is a spectacular thistle species, with a low-to-the-ground rosette of leaves and large flowerheads. It was a delight to find several of these growing on the land surrounding the Medicine River Wildlife Centre, when we spent the day botanizing the forest and meadows there on 4th July 2010. In Calgary, this species is rare - the only place where these native Thistles have been found is Weaselhead. Often, you find that the plant has a central flower surrounded by several others. The largest flower is always the one in the center of the group, and it has always finished blooming when the surrounding flower heads bloom. Usually, you see the flower head completely covered in purple, without the pale coloured part.