Melancholy Thistle

This large, showy thistle is a welcome sight in late summer, when it can form large clumps of purple flowers, which droop sadly and give the plant its name. The melancholy thistle has no prickles on its stem, and its leaves have a white underside, hence the alternative name of 'fish belly'.  

The melancholy thistle is most common on roadside verges, but cutting hay meadows later in the year allows it to survive there too. This thistle really needs to be able to set seed into late July to ensure that it survives in the long term; these days most hay meadows are cut in mid July.