for a brief time each year, i find myself pulling to dangerous stops on roadway shoulders, armed with a lopper and heavy leather gloves, to gather june thistles. they seem to thrive most accessibly along the most hectic stretches of interstate highways and the tops of busy exit ramps. today i managed to snatch a five foot bouquet of thistle blossoms from a roadside slope that roared with the sound of commuters hurrying home. they may have wondered who the crazy lady was walking back to her car with an armload of spiky stems. or, in their haste, they may not have wondered at all. no matter. i have an extravagance of lavender to remember this day by.

roadside musk thistle

saint paul, minnesota