Purple Thistle Cirsium Horridulum Our farm is covered in the Florida Native Purple Yellow Thistle. I must confess that this plant has been yanked out of the ground everywhere I have ever seen it! Its spiky, invasive and has no use, right? Wrong Once you spot a butterfly thoroughly enjoy a patch of blooming Thistle, it will be allowed anywhere! Butterflies and Bees love the nectar from these plants! The Thistle is also a larval host plant for the Little Metalmark and Painted Lady Butterflies. The plant itself grows to about knee high and is VERY spiky! It puts off multiple purple blooms in March - April in the Florida Panhandle. Flowers are all purple, or all yellow, or purple with yellow accents, or yellow with purple in the middle, etc. Once finished, small birds enjoy eating the seeds!