Dreamlike, wild blue thistle blossoms in the summer evening light in the Botanical Garden of Berlin.
When we hear the word thistle, we inevitably think of "weeds". But if all thistles were weeds, they would not have been chosen as the perennial of the year. The choice was made in favour of the thistle not only because of numerous underestimated garden perennials, but also because of insect mortality. Regardless of whether it's a thistle or an umbellifer, both are very important food plants for a variety of insects that visit their flowers or, like the caterpillars of the thistle butterfly, feed on their leaves. The fruits of thistles are an important food for a large number of songbirds. Thistles are also important as cultivated plants: milk thistle and benedictus as medicinal plants, artichoke as a vegetable, safflower as an oilseed and saffron substitute.
The second most important genus in horticulture is the globe thistle (Echinops). They are also characterised by their silvery to blue flower balls, which superficially resemble ornamental leeks. Most species like dry locations.
"For me, photography feels like really capturing the moment - like a kind of alchemy where time is physically captured."
Silva Wischeropp was born in the Hanseatic city of Wismar in the former GDR. Today she lives and works in Berlin. As a passionate travel..
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