2. Pitchers Thistle Cirsium pitcheri Threatened Species! Threatened Species! Threatened Species!

3. Description Blooms and sets seed once during its lifetime Grows for five to eight years before it flowers\ Non-flowering form is a rosette or cluster of silvery leaves Flowering form has one stem with many branches Flowering plant may grow 3 feet tall Cream or pink flowers grow at the end of branches and from the leaf axils Leaves are finely and deeply lobed Leaves may be one foot long Pitcher’s Thistle Threatened Species! Threatened Species! Threatened Species!

4. Description Stems and leaves are covered with white hairs Hairs give the plant a woolly white or silvery appearance Hairs are an adaptation to its beach environment –help the plant retain water –reflect the sun’s strong rays Spines are along the edges of leaves near the base and at the tips of some of the lobes Long taproot, up to 6 feet long. Pitcher’s Thistle Threatened Species! Threatened Species! Threatened Species!

5. Habitat Pitcher’s thistle grows on the open sand dunes and low open beach ridges of the Great Lakes’ shores. It is most often found in near-shore plant communities but it can grow in all non- forested areas of a dune. Threatened Species! Threatened Species! Threatened Species!

6. Reasons Loss of habitat due to human shoreline activities Construction of coastal roads Residential, condominium, and marina development Creation and maintenance of public beaches Hikers trample Pitcher’s thistle which harms or destroys the plants Off-road vehicles (ORV) traffic in dunes cause erosion which creates unstable areas Threatened Species! Threatened Species! Threatened Species!

7. Survival Programs to educate private and public property owners about this species Project planning for marina development and road construction to avoiding or minimizing harm to the species Avoid the use of invasive plants that have been imported and compete with native plants When recreating in coastal areas, drive vehicles only where authorized When hiking stay on established or authorized footpaths to avoid harming rare plants like Pitcher’s thistle and damaging fragile natural dune areas. Threatened Species! Threatened Species! Threatened Species!

8. Credits By : Amber and Micah http://midwest.fws.gov/endangered/plants/pitche rs.htmlhttp://midwest.fws.gov/endangered/plants/pitche rs.html http://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/gla/tesweb/plants/Plant s_Main.htmhttp://www.ncrs.fs.fed.us/gla/tesweb/plants/Plant s_Main.htm Edited by Mrs. Bradley 2004 Pitcher Thistle - Threatened Species!