A different purple

In yesterday’s post you saw the purple of gayfeather, but this time the purple comes from Eryngium leavenworthii, known as eryngo. People sometimes see these flower heads as little purple pineapples, or the plant itself as a thistle because of its needle-tipped leaf lobes, but the fact remains that eryngo is in the same botanical family as celery, carrots, parsley, and dill.

Like the mesquite pod you saw two days ago, I photographed this eryngo on September 22 on a piece of undeveloped prairie between Josh Ridge Blvd. and Harris Ridge Blvd. in northeast Austin.

© 2015 Steven Schwartzman