Thistle Bee Ace, you Silly Bum

Photo taken today of Silybum Marianum, or a Milk Thistle.
Native to the Mediterranean areas of Europe, the Middle East and North Africa.
Proven to be able to aid in the healing of the liver after toxin induced damage, and also in some cases able to counter the deadly affects of the Amanita or "Death Cap" mushroom.
The name milk thistle derives from the white marks on the leaves that sometimes appear which is said to be mother Mary's milk, which is why they are sometimes known as St.Mary's Thistles.
Also just about every part of the plant, with the right preparation, can be eaten.
In floriography (an old practice of using plants as symbols in coded messages) the thistle is a Celtic symbol of nobility of character and birth, and to insult, provoke or harm a thistle would mean punishment.
The thistle is also known for being the symbol of Scotland, and is also the symbol of The Order of the Thistle, and ancient chivalric order of knights and ladies still active today that includes HRH Prince William.

And for me they hold a personal reminder of my late grandfather for being his middle name, Fredrick Thistle Beech, may he rest in peace.