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PAGE 12A PICKENS COUNTY PROGRESS THURSDAY. MAY 27. 2021
Plants of the Southeast — Nodding thistle, Carduus nutans
Photos / John Nelson
The heads of Nodding thistle can each bear nearly a
thousand separate flowers. While attractive this profusion
of seeds sets up a botanical disaster with the species grow
ing into dense patches.
By John Nelson
University of
South Carolina
O thou weed, who art so
lo vely fair and
smell'st so sweet
That the sense aches at thee,
would thou hadst ne 'er been
born!
Shakespeare, Othello, IV, 2
With Nodding thistle we
have another Jekyll and Hyde
plant...one that is indeed
“lovely fair”, but one which,
at the same time, is a most
loathsome invader.
It’s a thistle, of course,
and like all thistles, is a mem
ber of the daisy family, as
you already know: the Aster-
aceae.
Recall that in this family,
the flowers are really tiny,
and congested into heads.
Each head (also called a ca-
pitulum) is variously pro
tected, in bud, by a series of
bracts on the outside, called
“phyllaries”.
When the head is open
and the flowers are available
to the world, so to speak,
these phyllaries are fre
quently down at the bottom
of the head.
Here, the head itself is on
a long stalk, and sometimes
bends over a bit, nodding.
The heads of Nodding thistle
can each bear nearly a thou
sand separate flowers.
The individual flowers in
the head are narrowly tubu
lar, and purple. (If the look of
the head reminds you a little
of an artichoke, there is a rea
son for that: they are related
species.)
At the base of each flower
will be a tiny ovary, destined
to form a hard, one-seeded
fruit, much like a sunflower
seed, only pale brown when
ripe.
And of course, this being
a thistle, there will be a
prominent tuft of soft, snow-
white down on the upper end
of the achene. That’s what
lets these seeds float around
in the breeze so easily.
Most thistles are also
known for spininess, and be
lieve me, this species is true
on that mark as well. Sharp,
needle-like spines adorn the
leaf lobes, margins and bases,
and the leaf-like wings going
up and down the stem.
Toward the base of the
plant these spiny wings are
quite broad and grabbing
onto just about any part of a
big plant, without gloves on,
will be a painful experience.
The flower heads are spiny,
too...each one of those bracts
terminating in a stiff point.
Ouch.
All of this spininess might
not be so bad if the plants oc
curred separately, one at a
time. But oh, no! This species
can grow to be 6’ tall or so,
forming tndy dense patches,
if it gets the chance, and eas
ily crowding out all the other
vegetation. So many flower
ing heads producing so many
ripe achenes...it’s a setting of
botanical horror.
So, I think that you will
agree with me that this is a
charming plant in an aes
thetic sense: the blooming
heads are very attractive, and
they do attract butterflies and
goldfinches, which is nice.
But the downside of this
species can’t be understated.
It is a total nuisance, an alien
imported into North America
from Europe in the 19th Cen
tury, and by now spread into
nearly every state of the
union (not reported from
Florida yet). Getting rid of it
is expensive, and is no easy
matter.
©JohnNelson2021
[John Nelson is the retired
curator of the A. C. Moore
Herbarium at the University
of South Carolina, in the De
partment of Biological Sci
ences, Columbia SC 29208.
As a public service, the
Herbarium offers free plant
identifications. For more in
formation, visit www.herbar-
ium.org or email
johnbnelson@sc. rr. com.]
Family. Matters
What parents can do when siblings fight
By Mary Migliaro
Parent Mentor
We recently celebrated
National Siblings Day and
social media was flooded
with posts of family pictures
showing siblings gazing
adoringly at each other.
Pretty pictures but not ex
actly reality.
The fact is that sibling re
lationships can be compli
cated and complex over the
years. Not all smooth sailing
to be sure but providing op
portunities for growth and
knowledge about how to nav
igate personal relationships
in the real world.
You can probably recall
many instances in your past
when you fought with your
siblings and plenty of in
stances where your own chil
dren have had words from
time to time.
Many different things can
cause siblings to fight. Most
brothers and sisters experi
ence some degree of jealousy
or competition, and this can
flare into squabbles and bick
ering. But other factors also
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might influence how often
kids fight and how severe the
fighting gets.
There are many reasons
why siblings fight including:
individual temperaments
such as mood, disposition,
and adaptability; each child’s
individual personality; and
special needs or sick kids. A
child's special needs due to
illness or leaming/emotional
issues may require more
parental time. Siblings may
pick up on this disparity and
act out to get attention or out
of fear of what's happening to
the other child.
The first step for parents
dealing with sibling fights
should be to bar physical al
tercations which should
never be allowed in a family.
Children need to understand
that physical violence is
never allowed or justified.
Whenever possible, don't
get involved. Step in only if
there's a danger of physical
harm. If you always inter
vene, you risk creating other
problems. Most of the time,
children can resolve their is
sues more quickly without
adult intervention.
According to KidsHealth,
here are some other tech
niques to use:
• Separate kids until
they're calm. Sometimes it's
best just to give them space
for a little while and not im
mediately rehash the conflict.
Otherwise, the fight can esca
late again. If you want to
make this a learning experi
ence, wait until the emotions
have died down.
• Don't put too much
focus on figuring out which
child is to blame. It takes
two to fight and anyone who
is involved is partly responsi
ble.
• Next, try to set up a
"win-win" situation so that
each child gains something.
When they both want the
same toy, perhaps there's a
game they could play to
gether instead.
The best way to reduce or
eliminate sibling fights is to
prevent them before they
occur. One of the most effec
tive ways is to set ground
rales for acceptable behavior.
Tell the kids to keep their
hands to themselves and that
there's no cursing, no name
calling, no yelling, no door
slamming. Solicit their input
on the rales as well as the
consequences when they
break them. This teaches kids
that they're responsible for
their own actions, regardless
of the situation or how pro
voked they felt, and discour
ages any attempts to
negotiate regarding who was
"right" or "wrong."
They are also more likely
to follow the rales if they
have helped to establish
them. If a sibling fight does
break out, wait until tempers
have calmed and then have a
discussion with them about
how they might avoid fight
ing in the future. It will most
likely take some time to re
duce sibling fights, but the
kids will learn good strate
gies to use in life.
If fights between your
school-age kids are frequent,
hold weekly family meetings
in which you repeat the rales
about fighting and review
past successes in reducing
conflicts. Consider establish
ing a program where the kids
earn points toward a fun fam
ily-oriented activity when
they work together to stop
battling.
Investing time in helping
your children navigate sib
ling fights will go a long way
towards a peaceful home.
[Mary Migliaro, M.Ed. is
an educator and Parent Men
tor. She may be contacted at
maiymigliaro@aol.com.]
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