Above / If you don’t have roses, stop and smell the thistle! Â Find plenty of activity nestled there.
During a brisk morning trek along the trail in May Watts Park, we stopped to watch a small, noisy American Goldfinch when it dived into the brush of thistle that is abundantly drying in the sunshine.
The male goldfinch with his bright yellow body; black cap, wings, and tail; and white rump and undertail coverts was attracted to something near the ground.
By contrast, the female goldfinch flying with him was duller with an olive-colored back and lacks black cap and yellow shoulder bars. She was barely visible in the thistle patch.
In February, during National Bird Feeding Month, we fill our feeders with thistle seed, often attracting goldfinches in their dull winter colors. Goldfinch readily thrive on thistle all year long!
When we looked deeper into the thistle, without moving one inch, we also spotted beetles, bumble bees, butterflies and other birds, all feeding in harmony on what was left of the nectar.
Above / For the first time ever, we noticed the yellowish-orange Pennsylvania Leatherwing (PLW) with two black spots feeding near a bumble bee in the thistle patch in May Watts Park.
Pennysylvania Leatherwing (PLW)
Also known as Goldenrod Soldier Beetles, PLWs (Chauliognathus pensylvanicus) are among the most common members of the Soldier Beetle family. That information was news to us.
Shaped much like a firefly (or lightning bug), we previously had never noticed the PLW and were unfamiliar with the beetle and its name.  Taking time to identify it by its distinctive markings, we learned it had been featured as the “Bug of the Week” by the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee Field Station. Several websites suggest that PLWs are effective as a biological control on pest insects such as aphids. They’re valuable pollinators, too.
Above / In addition to plants such as red clover and alfalfa known for attracting butterflies, thistle is a good source of food for the monarch butterfly.
Treat unwanted thistle with boiling water
Earlier this spring, we read that boiling water works to kill invasive thistle that grows among landscaping. We tried it. It works.
Thistle is the common name of a large group of flowering plants (flowers are purplish to white) that are difficult to pull, characterized by prickly stems and leaves, mostly in the family Asteraceae. Their root systems and their prickles make the quick-growing plant (aka weed) tough to pull.
Above / Boiling water and a little tiime kills thistle without using herbicides to manage unwanted intrusion into local landscapes.
Simply boil water and carefully carry it outside to douse the thistle plants, one by one. At first the leaves will appear darker green and limp. The next day leaves will be shriveled, brown and easy to remove from the top. Thought it’s still hard to pull the roots, they will be deadened.
Enjoy passive in the parks!
We recently were surprised when told our constant use of local parks is “passive,” a buzz word used in park district speak to describe folks who love the great outdoors and enjoy experiencing the ever-changing seasons, rich with natural wonder.
We searched “passive vs. active use of parks” online and sure enough, the definition for passive use of parks includes one that is “self-generated, requiring no administration, walking-up and doing, unscheduled, often times dawn to dusk.”
That’s certainly our preference to “active” use which is defined as requiring administration for scheduled, programs; involving registration or a fee.
Exploring miles of trails along the Riverwalk, at May Watts Park and over at Lake Osborne as a regular routine at a quick pace keeps us busy discovering flora and fauna new to us.
More and more, studies support the health benefits of regular outdoor activity that includes time for long walks, deep breaths and nature. We also know we likely spend more time in our city’s parks than any other place except home.
Pay attention! Keep moving! Appreciate local parks!
May Watts Park is one of 140 parks in Naperville. With fishing piers, natural shoreline around the pond, playing fields, a sled hill for winter and an .89-mile limestone trail with concrete upgrades in low areas, the neighborhood park is named in memory of naturalist and educator May Theilgaard Watts. Watts spearheaded efforts to build the Illinois Prairie Path.
May Watts Park is located at 804 S. Whispering Hills Drive.
—PN Story & Photos / Aug. 22, 2015
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