Last month I paid a quick visit to Longwood Gardens in Kennett Square, PA. One of the new to me plants to photograph on that trip was some Imperial Star Artichokes (cynara scolymus). When I think about artichokes – I picture dipping delicious artichoke leaves in butter – not wonderful purple flowers! So you can imagine my surprise when I saw these wonderful plants and realized what fun they would be to photograph.
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
Imperial Star Artichoke – cynara scolymus © 2016 Patty Hankins
The more I looked at the artichokes at the garden – I realized they reminded me of thistle plants. Turns out both artichokes and thistles are members of the aster family! Who knew.
So to go along with my photos of the Imperial Star Artichokes, I thought I’d share a photo of a purple thistle (cirsium horridulum) I took in the Everglades National Park in Florida a few years ago.
Purple Thistle – cirsium horridulum © 2016 Patty Hankins