This is a bullet thistle, officially called the Echinops sphaerocephalus. That is of course quite a mouthful, but the name is derived from the Greek word for hedgehog. The ball thistle is a round spiny flower, from the thistle family.
This plant, which can reach a height of 60 to 120 cm, has a four-sided, little-branched stem with white felt hairs. The flowering period manifests itself between June and the end of August and produces a beautiful but spiny round flower calyx. This calyx consists of many small gray-blue flowers. When the seeds are ripe, the calyx falls apart.
Hi there! Nice seeing you here! I'm Jan vd Knaap, a photographer in Utrecht. I normally deal with portrait photography, for humans and animals, and I give workshops to get the most out of the camera. But in the meantime, I fill my account here.. Read more…