Flowering plantsIn Ohio
Field thistle
Cirsium discolor (Muhl. ex Willd.) Spreng.
- Kingdom
- Plantae
- Phylum
- Tracheophyta
- Class
- Magnoliopsida
- Order
- Asterales
- Family
- Asteraceae
- Genus
- Cirsium
Range
Where it is recorded
Season shown in 0 of Ohio's 88 counties. Explore Ohio
- No result yet (36)
- Recorded, too few records for a result (41)
- Recorded, season not shown (11)
- Season shown (0)
Counties as a table
| County | Records |
|---|---|
| Adams County | 26 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Allen County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ashland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ashtabula County | No qualifying records yet |
| Athens County | 96 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Auglaize County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Belmont County | No qualifying records yet |
| Brown County | No qualifying records yet |
| Butler County | 21 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Carroll County | No qualifying records yet |
| Champaign County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Clark County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Clermont County | 26 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Clinton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Columbiana County | No qualifying records yet |
| Coshocton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Crawford County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Cuyahoga County | No qualifying records yet |
| Darke County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Defiance County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Delaware County | 36 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Erie County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Fairfield County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Fayette County | No qualifying records yet |
| Franklin County | 61 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Fulton County | No qualifying records yet |
| Gallia County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Geauga County | No qualifying records yet |
| Greene County | 26 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Guernsey County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Hamilton County | 35 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Hancock County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Hardin County | No qualifying records yet |
| Harrison County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Henry County | No qualifying records yet |
| Highland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Hocking County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Holmes County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Huron County | No qualifying records yet |
| Jackson County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Jefferson County | No qualifying records yet |
| Knox County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Lake County | No qualifying records yet |
| Lawrence County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Licking County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Logan County | No qualifying records yet |
| Lorain County | No qualifying records yet |
| Lucas County | 41 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Madison County | No qualifying records yet |
| Mahoning County | No qualifying records yet |
| Marion County | No qualifying records yet |
| Medina County | No qualifying records yet |
| Meigs County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Mercer County | No qualifying records yet |
| Miami County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Monroe County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Montgomery County | 20 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Morgan County | No qualifying records yet |
| Morrow County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Muskingum County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Noble County | No qualifying records yet |
| Ottawa County | No qualifying records yet |
| Paulding County | No qualifying records yet |
| Perry County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Pickaway County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Pike County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Portage County | No qualifying records yet |
| Preble County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Putnam County | No qualifying records yet |
| Richland County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Ross County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Sandusky County | No qualifying records yet |
| Scioto County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Seneca County | No qualifying records yet |
| Shelby County | No qualifying records yet |
| Stark County | No qualifying records yet |
| Summit County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Trumbull County | No qualifying records yet |
| Tuscarawas County | No qualifying records yet |
| Union County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Van Wert County | No qualifying records yet |
| Vinton County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Warren County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Washington County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Wayne County | No qualifying records yet |
| Williams County | Recorded, too few records for a result |
| Wood County | 40 · Recorded, season not shown |
| Wyandot County | No qualifying records yet |
No mapped range from the range source used, the USGS Gap Analysis Project, which maps land vertebrates only.
Season
When it is recorded
In Ohio
Early June to early October, middle week Aug 30 – Sep 5
Middle week · Aug 30 – Sep 5
This week · Nov 8–14
Show over the bars
Records per week from 733 records in 10 of the 10 years from 2016 to 2025. Shows when people recorded it, not how common it is. The grey bars show how many records of all species were made here each week, so you can see when recording itself was high or low; the season is not adjusted by them.
Recorded on 386 dates. Latest record: October 2025.
Show as a table
| Week | Records of field thistle | Years recorded | Records of all species |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 4–10 | 0 | 0 | 6,211 |
| Jan 11–17 | 0 | 0 | 5,146 |
| Jan 18–24 | 0 | 0 | 4,645 |
| Jan 25–31 | 0 | 0 | 4,698 |
| Feb 1–7 | 1 | 1 | 6,023 |
| Feb 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 5,888 |
| Feb 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 5,436 |
| Feb 22–28 | 1 | 1 | 6,846 |
| Mar 1–7 | 1 | 1 | 8,321 |
| Mar 8–14 | 0 | 0 | 10,384 |
| Mar 15–21 | 0 | 0 | 12,620 |
| Mar 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 13,949 |
| Mar 29 – Apr 4 | 0 | 0 | 19,661 |
| Apr 5–11 | 10 | 1 | 26,860 |
| Apr 12–18 | 4 | 3 | 39,925 |
| Apr 19–25 | 1 | 1 | 41,623 |
| Apr 26 – May 2 | 2 | 1 | 56,391 |
| May 3–9 | 4 | 1 | 52,952 |
| May 10–16 | 2 | 2 | 53,785 |
| May 17–23 | 2 | 1 | 57,698 |
| May 24–30 | 3 | 1 | 54,651 |
| May 31 – Jun 6 | 5 | 4 | 53,099 |
| Jun 7–13 | 10 | 5 | 53,700 |
| Jun 14–20 | 2 | 1 | 56,625 |
| Jun 21–27 | 8 | 5 | 55,361 |
| Jun 28 – Jul 4 | 8 | 4 | 58,477 |
| Jul 5–11 | 9 | 6 | 61,336 |
| Jul 12–18 | 7 | 3 | 64,722 |
| Jul 19–25 | 6 | 5 | 69,753 |
| Jul 26 – Aug 1 | 7 | 4 | 59,416 |
| Aug 2–8 | 28 | 5 | 59,712 |
| Aug 9–15 | 27 | 6 | 55,994 |
| Aug 16–22 | 68 | 9 | 54,328 |
| Aug 23–29 | 84 | 9 | 51,772 |
| Aug 30 – Sep 5 | 109 | 10 | 57,167 |
| Sep 6–12 | 88 | 10 | 59,075 |
| Sep 13–19 | 114 | 9 | 54,543 |
| Sep 20–26 | 47 | 9 | 45,860 |
| Sep 27 – Oct 3 | 31 | 8 | 43,180 |
| Oct 4–10 | 13 | 5 | 37,841 |
| Oct 11–17 | 14 | 5 | 30,824 |
| Oct 18–24 | 9 | 4 | 21,156 |
| Oct 25–31 | 1 | 1 | 19,021 |
| Nov 1–7 | 0 | 0 | 14,172 |
| Nov 8–14 | 2 | 2 | 12,621 |
| Nov 15–21 | 5 | 1 | 7,965 |
| Nov 22–28 | 0 | 0 | 8,136 |
| Nov 29 – Dec 5 | 0 | 0 | 6,083 |
| Dec 6–12 | 0 | 0 | 6,004 |
| Dec 13–19 | 0 | 0 | 5,423 |
| Dec 20–26 | 0 | 0 | 5,661 |
| Dec 27 – Jan 2 | 0 | 0 | 8,459 |
Reported in flower
Usually reported in flower mid-August to late September, middle week Sep 6–12.
From 299 records that show flowers. Not every photo of a plant in flower is marked as flowering, so this shows when people reported it in flower, not when it flowers.
Reported in fruit
No fruiting season shown here. The weeks are still too uncertain to show a season.
What these results show
These results show when people recorded a species, not when or where it occurs. Missing weeks and low counts do not mean absence or scarcity, and counts are not abundance. Contributed records reflect where, when and what people chose to observe.
Relatives
In the same genus
Other Cirsium recorded in Ohio
Identification
How to identify it
Look-alikes
When
Land cover
Often confused with
- Bull Thistle Cirsium vulgareOften confused in Ohio: 130 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
- creeping thistle Cirsium arvenseOften confused in Ohio: 33 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
- Tall Thistle Cirsium altissimumOften confused in Ohio: 24 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
- swamp thistle Cirsium muticumOften confused in Ohio: 13 identifications in Ohio named one where the other was meant
- musk thistle Carduus nutans27 identifications worldwide named one where the other was meant
From iNaturalist’s similar-species counts, refreshed monthly: confusions in Ohio first, then worldwide. Only species with an Ohio result are listed.
Months not reported
- Jan: no record
- Feb: recorded
- Mar: recorded
- Apr: recorded
- May: recorded
- Jun: recorded
- Jul: recorded
- Aug: recorded
- Sep: recorded
- Oct: recorded
- Nov: recorded
- Dec: no record
Not reported in Ohio in December to January, 2016 to 2025.
Land cover where it is recorded
| Land cover | Its recordsAll Ohio records |
|---|---|
| Farmland | 35%11% |
| Developed | 34%49% |
| Forest | 25%31% |
| Grassland and shrub | 4%0.9% |
| Wetland | 2%5% |
| Barren | 0.4%0.6% |
| Open water | 0.2%3% |
From 461 records placed within 100 m, beside all Ohio records placed the same way. People record where they go, so this shows where records come from, not where the species lives. Land cover: USGS Annual NLCD, 2025 (opens in a new tab)
Sources
Where these results come from
- Records from iNaturalist research-grade observations and expert-identified GBIF datasets, CC0, CC BY and CC BY-NC. Sources
- Seasons use the published method and its evidence thresholds. Methods
- See it on iNaturalist (opens in a new tab)OpenPhenology is independent and not affiliated with iNaturalist.
Records behind the Ohio result
733 records from 2 datasets.
- iNaturalist Research-grade Observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 500 recordsiNaturalist contributors, iNaturalist (2026). iNaturalist Research-grade Observations. iNaturalist.org. Occurrence dataset https://doi.org/10.15468/ab3s5x accessed via GBIF.org on 2026-11-13.
- iNaturalist observations (opens in a new tab) · iNaturalist.org · 233 recordsiNaturalist. Available from https://www.inaturalist.org. Accessed 2026-11-13
To cite: the GBIF download doi:10.15468/dl.y2jkt8 (opens in a new tab).
A spreadsheet (CSV) with a link to each record, on iNaturalist or GBIF. Records whose location was hidden by the observer or the source are counted but not linked.