Nodding Thistle/Musk Thistle / Carduus nutans

I came across three or four of these quite large flowers a few days ago, totally unexpectedly. I had just spent some time down on my hands and knees photographing tiny Bird's-nest Fungi and then came across these very beautiful "weeds" on the way back to my car. They are my favourite thistle, so I always love seeing them (rarely).

"Biennial or winter annual that reproduces by seed only. A native of Europe, nodding thistle has a long history as a rangeland pest. The invasive nature of this aggressive plant can lead to severe degradation of native grasslands and meadows because grazing animals focus on native vegetation giving the thistles a competitive advantage."

www.invasiveplants.ab.ca/Downloads/FS-NoddingThistle.pdf