With a few weekends under my belt, I'm starting to wander about the cottage community and visually explore the area. This is a nice time of year to do so; many of the wild plants are in bloom, including a rather vicious-looking but colourful Scottish Thistle.
Scottish Thistles
These plants are growing all over the resort, and as prickly as they are, they are also quite beautiful. Stand 3 - 4 feet tall, they produce several blossoms in rich magenta/purple.