Botanical name: Cirsium vulgare
Common names: Spear thistle, bull thistle, common thistle
Characteristics
- Found on grassland, freshwater, farmland, wetlands, woodlands, gardens , roadside verges, field edges
- Flowers heads with bright pink florets and a ball of spiny bracts (July-October)
- Leaves grey-green and spiny
- Tall stems winged, spiny and cottony
- Flowers provide a source of nectar for birds and insects
Location
Poet’s path, stone wall
Friends of Robert Burns Birthplace Museum 