Smooth Sow-thistle

sow-thistle sketch

Growing beside our compost bins, Smooth Sow-thistle, Sonchus oleraceus, is a common weed of disturbed ground.

The Collins flower guide mentions the ‘acute, spreading auricles’ at the base of the leaves as a diagnostic feature.

drawing sow-thistle

It steadily flopped as I drew it but since I finished it has perked up again, so I might get another chance to add a drawing of the shape of the leaf.