Nodding Thistle

There are some big patches of Nodding thistle just south of the 42nd Street bridge, on the East side of the river. I've seen these before, but not in such large numbers. As far as I know this ground hasn't been recently disturbed. Maybe it's just the wetter conditions that triggered it.

They are an invasive species, often classified as a noxious weed. But they're also quite colourful. They're related to sunflowers and it seems like you can see some resemblance in the flowers. I didn't do too well at capturing the way a large area of them looks. It's quite a sight.

(click to view larger)