Scotland's National Flower

by Lois Bryan

Title

Scotland's National Flower

Artist

Lois Bryan

Medium

Photograph - Photography

Description

The national flower of Scotland, the beautiful vase-shaped thistle, sports a soft and feathery purple top-knot irresistible to insects and some birds. But its spines and spikes are sharp and tenacious … a danger both to humans and animals. An amazing contrast. With the sunlight dappling the cedar wall of a mountain cabin behind it, this thistle is as pretty as it is troublesome.

Scotland's decision to name this painfully beautiful blossom as their National Flower is steeped in legend. One such legend tells the story of a 13th century army of Norsemen that landed in the vicinity of Largs (a coastal town in Ayrshire) one night, planning to conquer the land To take the Largs by quiet surprise, the soldiers took off their shoes and slowly crept close. But the cries of one of the soldiers who stepped on a thistle's thorn, alerted the Scotts who awoke and defeated the invaders.

Fine art and product purchases of this image will not include a watermark, and if I may make a recommendation ... wall art will look its very best on the fine art paper choice of "picture rag."

Image captured with the Nikon D40x in August of 2008. Not created using Artificial Intelligence.

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Uploaded

March 7th, 2024

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