Le Chardon doré

Judith Rothchild

Rothchild brings elegance to the lowly thistle with her luminous mezzotint. The thistle heads are supported on erect, spineless stems with curving leaves. The base of the flower head is surrounded by clusters of modified leaves, called bracts. Thistles rely on wind to disperse their seeds which are attached to a feather pappus or parachute-like structure. Nature has provided a means for the wind to disperse the seeds of the lowly thistle over great distances.