{"id":47805,"date":"2025-07-10T16:32:13","date_gmt":"2025-07-10T21:32:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/?p=47805"},"modified":"2026-03-10T10:19:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T15:19:08","slug":"thistles-crown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/","title":{"rendered":"Thistle’s Crown"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Untamed Beauty of the Wild<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Often seen as just weeds, the\u00a0thistles\u00a0(likely\u00a0Cirsium<\/em>\u00a0species) of\u00a0Northwestern Ontario\u00a0have a rugged charm that really gets your attention. Their formidable spiny armor protects a delicate, intricate bloom, showing us that even tough plants can hold unexpected beauty. Whether native or introduced, these\u00a0wild plants\u00a0play a role in their ecosystems, providing nectar for pollinators drawn to their lavender or purple blossoms. Their presence, sometimes in vast patches, speaks to the untamed spirit of the land, a reminder that even the prickly members of the plant kingdom have their own unique spot in\u00a0Ontario’s flora. Our\u00a0summer art programs\u00a0have found these intriguing plants to be excellent subjects for observational drawing and\u00a0photography, challenging our perception of beauty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While their spines certainly make you think twice about touching them, parts of thistles have historically been used as food. The young stems of some species, when peeled, can be eaten raw or cooked, similar to cardoon or celery. The roots of certain thistles, particularly the non-invasive native varieties, can also be eaten, usually after cooking. This aspect of\u00a0traditional plant use\u00a0has sparked much curiosity during our\u00a0summer art programs, leading to discussions and\u00a0storytelling\u00a0about how plants were once integral to daily life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mainly,\u00a0thistles\u00a0are valued for what they do for the environment and for their bold look. Their flowers provide a crucial late-season food source for bees, butterflies, and other insects when many other\u00a0wildflowers\u00a0have finished blooming. The seeds are also a favorite food for many bird species, especially goldfinches, who you can often see delicately picking them from the mature seed heads. So, even if you\u2019re not gathering them for a meal, their role in supporting\u00a0local wildlife\u00a0is important, making them a key part of the\u00a0Northwestern Ontario wild landscape, inspiring new perspectives in our art.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

We’re checking out the intriguing presence of thistles, their unique forms adding character to\u00a0Ontario’s\u00a0open spaces.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":47802,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25,20],"tags":[138,199,332,232,236],"class_list":["post-47805","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community-garden","category-photos","tag-forest-flowers","tag-northwestern-ontario","tag-ontario-arts","tag-sdg11","tag-sdg15"],"yoast_head":"\nThistle's Crown - Art Borups Corners<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"We're checking out the intriguing presence of thistles, their unique forms adding character to\u00a0Ontario's\u00a0open spaces.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Thistle's Crown\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"We're checking out the intriguing presence of thistles, their unique forms adding character to\u00a0Ontario's\u00a0open spaces.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Art Borups Corners\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-07-10T21:32:13+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-03-10T15:19:08+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thistle-northwestern-ontario-plants.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1200\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"675\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Jamie Bell\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Thistle's Crown\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"We're checking out the intriguing presence of thistles, their unique forms adding character to\u00a0Ontario's\u00a0open spaces.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thistle-northwestern-ontario-plants.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Jamie Bell\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Jamie Bell\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/#\/schema\/person\/1f493c6ac6cb45ffb745afeb5f630c87\"},\"headline\":\"Thistle’s Crown\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-07-10T21:32:13+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-03-10T15:19:08+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/\"},\"wordCount\":314,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/thistle-northwestern-ontario-plants.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Forest Flowers\",\"Northwestern Ontario\",\"Ontario Arts\",\"SDG 11\",\"SDG 15\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Community Garden\",\"Photos and Short Stories\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/artsincubator.ca\/borupscorners\/thistles-crown\/\",\"name\":\"Thistle's Crown - 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