Knapweed

Remember the "pineapple in drag" a few days ago? A friendly reader let me know that it's called knapweed, or centaurée in French. They resemble thistles, but have no spines. In fact, I often see these wildflowers growing side by side with thistles, along with wild carrot and chicory.

Knapweed in bloom, with a few wild carrot thrown in. I toned down some of the background to make the flowers stand out.

Out in the vineyards behind our house there are many plots of land that are just fields between vine parcels. They are left untended mostly, but are sometimes mowed once during the year. In these plots, the tall grasses and wildflowers dominate, making for nice splashes of color all summer long. They also seem to make good habitats for insects, rodents, and other little critters.