Nebraskaland

70 Nebraskaland • May 2026 Mixed Bag It was a busy scene even though I was the only person around for miles. Far from the c ity streets were countless bees and other pollinators buzzing around the various white flowers dotting the surrounding green Sandhills grassland of the Crescent Lake National Wildlife Refuge. The species attracting so much attention with its yellowish-white flowers that spring evening was Platte thistle (Cirsium canescens). I took pleasure in walking from thistle to thistle to focus my macro lens on the bumble bees and other insects. Does a poky thistle deserve so much love? Seems this one does. Nebraska has 10 thistle species, half of which are native. Members of the sunflower family, some are perennials and some biennials with a two-year life cycle. As non-native thistles have caused land managers headaches, the natives are considered proper species for our prairies. Sure, cattle do not like to eat their thorny leaves and stems, but if pastures are managed correctly, they don't grow in large enough numbers to cause problems. Still, they have often become collateral damage to methods of control for the bad actors as some have taken a "any thistle is a bad thistle" approach. As evidenced by the show I saw that evening, the good thistles can be important species for pollinators. Not only does Platte thistle have a name that should resonate well with Nebraskans, it is known to be a "butterfly plant" with nectar-rich flowers. Later in its life cycle, seeds provide food for birds. O t h e r n a t i v e t h i s t l e s i n t h e s t a te, g e n e r a l l y n o t c o n s i d e re d to be problematic in pastures, are tall (Cirsium altissimum), Flodman ( C i rs i u m f l o d ma n i i ) , ye l l ows p i n e (Cirsium ochrocentrum) and wavyleaf (Cirsium undulatum). T h e t h i s t l e s c o n s i d e re d to b e aggressive weeds in Nebraska — all non-native — are Canada (Cirsium arvense), musk (Carduus nutans), plumeless (Carduus acanthoides), Scotch (Onopordum acanthium) and bull (Cirsium vulgare). T h e p ro b l e m a t i c t h i s t l e s we re introduced to North America via Euro-American settlers, maybe in c o n ta m i n a te d s e e d a n d fe e d , o r perhaps on purpose for their looks. Without the natural enemies of their original lands overseas, the thistles thrived and displaced valuable grazing forage for livestock, native prairie plants and cropland. They took root in our regions at different paces. Canada thistle, a native of Europe and Asia that some say was named by Americans blaming French traders for bringing it south from "the Land of Maple," has been considered a noxious weed since the 1800s. Musk didn't make the list until the mid-20th century. How does one discern the good thistles from the bad? Many resources exist, such as the Nebraska Weed Control Association and Nebraska Department of Agriculture's collaboration, "Thistles of Nebraska." I have it in print, but it is easily found with an internet search. The guide has a helpful flowchart to help people distinguish the natives from non-natives. One tell-tale feature, for instance, is whether the thistle has hair on its leaves. If it has no hair, or only sparse hair, on its upper side, it's a musk or plumeless thistle — the bad ones. L a n d o w n e r s u s e a v a r i e t y o f methods to control the problematic species. With a little knowledge, they can get rid of the out-of-place thistles and leave the others for the birds and the bees, or whatever other pollinators find them attractive. Thistles: The Good, the Bad and the Pretty By Justin Haag Brown-Belted Bumble Bee (Bombus griseocollis) on Platte Thistle (Cirsium canescens) Bicolored Striped Sweat Bee (Agapostemon virsecens) and Honey Bee (Apis)

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