Posted on June 29, 2010 - by Blackhawk Staff Writer

Community Potluck and Thistle Education!

This past Saturday homeowners and staff from Blackhawk gathered at the Ranch House to enjoy some amazing food and amazing sunshine! A big thank you to the Johnsons, DeSchryvers, Blooms, and Hobsons for bringing all that delicious food and another thank you to Kyle Nixon for being our BBQ guru!

In between catching up, telling jokes and enjoying cocktails in the sun, we also endeavored to learn how to distinguish between several types of noxious weeds. One of the plants we see most often (and are always trying to eradicate) are thistles. As a reminder to everyone who attended this event (and as an education for those who couldn’t join us), below are photos of each type of thistle typically found at Blackhawk and how to treat each species.

Scotch Thistle: You can easily kill this by using a shovel.
Canada Thistle: This thistle is a bit more stubborn and should be eradicated using a spray.
Idaho Native Thistle: This is actually a “friendly thistle” and SHOULD NOT be killed if possible. The Idaho Native Thistle is non-spreading and non-invasive and plays a major role in animal and insect eco-systems.