Wild blue thistles in the Botanic Garden by Silva Wischeropp

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.

This artwork is offered by Silva Wischeropp

Silva Wischeropp was born in the Hanseatic city of Wismar in the former GDR. Today she lives and works in Berlin. As an experienced and passionate travel photographer whose interests span a broad range, she focuses on portraiture, street life, reportage, documentary, travel, tourism, landscape and nature. In addition, she is known for her recordings in the fields of architecture and fashion. Since 2016, her new repertoire includes surreal digital photo collages. For 20 years she has been known in Germany and abroad as a creative photo artist. Her works have been widely published and exhibited. "The photographic image process represents my personal work and creation area. This means dealing with image worlds, politics, human needs and sensitivities. The camera expands my scope to meet that other reality. Photography makes me happy, creates joy, closes boundaries, opens new doors, widens horizons. The camera teaches me to see, to sharpen the view, to capture moments, to perceive fleeting moments that are not visible to others. I am a creative person, a picture-maker, who draws on herself, does not copy a lot and develops her own imagery. So I move between the poles, reach different fixed points, look behind the scenes. Out of the thousandfold existing I manage to bring out something unique, unique moments of the picture."

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