Garden Pests and Diseases: help remove thistles pls, 1 by 1251casey

1251casey wrote:
I have a problem with thistle too but there is a benefit to them if you have the space. When they go to seed the yellow finches use them for their nests. They are great songbirds and do not frequent areas with out reason. Thistle are also a favorite of many butterflies. I believe the swollow tails frequent them. I'd have to double check.

I have enough room, so I leave a large area for them and pull them in areas I prefer not to have them. The tap roots can sometimes be huge so I do use a weeder tool for larger ones.