Native to Europe and Asia, this weed has been widely introduced to most of the globe. In the eastern U.S., it dominates north of the Ohio River and the Mason-Dixson line (with exception to West Virginia, where it is has also become well-established). West of the Mississippi River, Creeping Thistle has spread across most of the United States with exception to the southern Great Plains.

Creeping Thistle is the most common thistle species in the U.S. It prefers recently disturbed/cultivated grounds (such as vegetable gardens), road side and field edges, and other patches of relatively barren soil. Barren patches of turf provide an ideal germinating for wind-dispersed thistle seeds. The best defense against a creeping thistle invasion is a dense, well-established turf.

Creeping Thistle consists of tiny pink/lilac florets which comprise a larger flower head. Each complete head sits atop a spiny bract (a circular arrangement of leaf-like tissues at the apex of the stem). Its slender green stem ranges anywhere from 30 to 150cm tall. Its spiny leaves alternate around the stem, topping out around 20cm in length. Regularly mowed turf is unlikely to see this weed in the flowering stage, however Creeping Thistle is notorious for its spiny leaves which can leave a painful prick.  

Creeping Thistle tends to emerge from the soil in early June, with its bright purple flowers dominating roadside landscapes by mid-July. When large stands of this weed begin to seed, the flower heads take on a dense cotton-like appearance. A burst of wind can send thousands of seeds into the air in a matter of seconds. Creeping Thistle continues growing and flowering through October.

There are two ways to remove Creeping Thistle, hand removal or herbicide. You can hand remove Creeping Thistle from gardens or lawns using thick gloves to avoid their prickly leaves. However, since Creeping Thistle produces an extensive root network so you need to assure all roots have been successfully removed to avoid re-establishment (even traces of roots can lead to new thistle shoots). Each individual plant can send up multiple shoots, giving the appearance that there are many more individual plants than in reality. In addition, when removing by hand you want to avoid spreading the flower's light fluffy seeds. In order to prevent germination of thistle seeds, make sure any large thistle stands are removed before flowering. Creeping Thistle seeds can quickly be blown to other areas of your landscape and rapidly take over. Once removed, throw the weed away and do not try to compost them because traces of roots or seeds will quickly establish new plants.