by Leslie Cox; March 3, 2025

Did you know…

                  …folklore has it that thick patches of wild thistles were responsible for impeding the advancement of the Viking invasion of Scotland centuries years ago? The area covered with thistles were so vast they slowed the Vikings, allowing the Scots time to escape. Hence, the reason the thistle is Scotland’s national flower.

However, knowing how tough and stubborn Scottish people can be, my theory is the thistle was selected as the National Flower because of its resilience and tenacity so similar to that of the Scots standing up against numerous raids on their country through the centuries by Vikings and the English.