Texas thistle bud

The first Texas thistle buds, Cirsium texanum, were already appearing in Austin at the end of March. By the time I photographed this one on April 6 on FM 969 east of Austin, it was just beginning to open, a process that starts at the top of the globe. The complementary (and complimentary) color in the background came from a colony of phlox.

Now, a month later, the Texas thistles are at their peak and are a common sight in many places around town.

© 2012 Steven Schwartzman