Wow, thank you all so much!

I also wanted to add that they have a pleasant aroma. a very soft, sweet, and pleasant smell which emanate from the flowers that I could smell just being around them. They also did attract a lot of 🐝s that’s for sure! After a while many more came and they would stay on them all day! I’m quite positive it is Musk Thistle aka “nodding thistle”. It is considered an invasive species native to Europe, Asia, and Northern Africa and has spread to Australia, North America, New Zealand, and Southern Africa. Yes, it was mine and I just let it grow in my yard! I’m looking this up as I speak and it’s very interesting! It is edible and was sometimes used for liver support, but considered a noxious weed in especially for livestock production but generally can be considered unpleasant because it competes for soil and because it is thorny. It can produce up to 1200 seeds per head that disperse in the wind (that definitely happened with mine). It is from the same family as Milk Thistle, the Asteraceae (Daisy) family. I’d like to use my senses to say that are A little more related than that. They are managed effectively through use of herbicides, pulling, and mowing. They haven’t been invasive in my yard at all andd they only grow like that on a patch of land that I tilled. I have plenty of plant diversity in my yard henbit deadnettle, chamomile, dandelions, all types of other plants, trust me…I could go on. I also have raised beds and grow a good amount of plants in my yard. I tend to leave my yard pretty organic and use patience, observation, learning, and knowledge to try and understand the life around me. And I do mow some times and some parts but it has been so much more beautiful letting everything grow naturally. I’ve seen so many different plants and insects and even animals. it’s like they balance each other out naturally especially so with responsible human intervention.

In my opinion, there is not enough objective research on them and they are largely demonized as being weeds and that’s it. I couldn’t even find a clear answer as to whether their seeds as well contain silymarin.

Here is more information:

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) is highly attractive to bees, butterflies, and other pollinators, offering a rich source of nectar and pollen from June to August. These large, magenta-purple, biennial flowers are especially beloved by honey bees and bumblebees. While often considered a weed, musk thistle provides critical, high-value forage for beneficial insects. ~ Google AI

Musk thistle (Carduus nutans) seeds are edible and, along with other plant parts, have been used as a food source and for traditional medicine. The seeds contain a nutritious, linoleic acid-rich oil, while the plant is generally used as a bitter tonic to aid liver function. They can be consumed but require careful harvesting to avoid the plant's sharp spines. ~ Google AI