Friends, this thistle growing in the badlands is through blooming, the top bloom has gone to seed and the bottom bloom is in its full glory. This plant is 2-4 feet high perennial that grows on a dry plain, and if it is a native thistle, may be a wavy-leaved thistle.  The white fuzz has seeds attached that are dispersed on a windy day to all parts.  Many non-native thistle specie are invasive and farming practices are directed toward  eliminating thistles from grain fields.  But the native thistles are strongly linked to bees and butterflies life cycles and may have some medicinal benefits to humans.  Thistles are also valuable to survival of goldfinches.  They line their nests with the fuzz and feed the processed seeds to their young. I do not know if this is a native or non-native thistle, but next time I see such a plant, I will look more closely.   The underside of leaves of native thistles have a whitish appearance and are covered with tiny hairs.  So ends the botany lesson for the day. til Tomorrow MJ