The globe thistles are lovers of hot sun and poor soil. Making tall statuesque plants, clothed in shiny leathery leaves, with grey or white undersides, deeply cut with sharp spiny tips. Round, drum-stick heads of hard blue, or sometimes white flowerheads, are composed of many small, individual, flowers. Around 120 species from Europe to Asia, with a few in Africa. Echinos, meaning hedgehog, referring to the spiky flower clusters.
The rounded flowerheads with many tiny flowers produce nectar and pollen, much used by bumblebees, honeybees, hoverflies, moths and butterflies (including small tortoiseshells and meadow browns and skippers) and a whole lot more. They have been cultivated for centuries in our gardens and some species are now very well-established in the wild, on road-verges, brownfield sites and similar habitats, appearing almost native and certainly doing their bit for native insects.