sorry, but not really sorry. these thorns and thistles have me fascinated. why would a region produce so much prickly defensiveness? is it because the landscape has historically been browsed by goats, who can only be deterred by thorns the size of roofing nails? is it because the impoverished soil produces so little green vegetation that everything not spiked risks being eaten to extinction? are these thorny plants actually ancient invasive species that came here once and could never reasonably be eradicated? i don’t know. little help?
a sample of local stems
autignac, languedoc, france
llevas razón cuando dices que es una auténtica defensa contra los herbívoros, pero la razón principal es una adaptación al prolongado y caluroso verano. la reducción foliar después que han madurado los frutos y la transformación en espinas, evita una transpiración excesiva. hay especies invasoras con espinas pero la mayoría son autóctonas y la calidad del suelo es indiferente. buen trabajo!
Data from the United Kingdom is now not included in datasets with reference dates after 2020.