White Thistle!?!

Am I crazy or is there no such thing as white thistle? I have only ever seen the purple thistle flowers in my life and today when I was hiking, high up on top a ridge I wondered over to a patch of Queen Ann's Lace (wild carrot) mixed in with butterfly covered thistle. Thing is, what I thought at first was the white of the thistle when the purple flower finishes and turns white-n- fuzzy, so it's seeds can take flight.... suddenly transformed in front my eyes when I realized the actual flowers were WHITE!
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Now.... see this pic below! That is the color thistle always is - (and that is what was growing all round the field....)

This white thistle was a loner. A rebel. Bugs were not even on it. It stood alone in it's rare majesty. I saw no other white thistle around.

I took three small seed heads with me in a baggie I had in my backpack - I would love to plant them and see if more white thistle will grow!

Tell me --- have any of ya'll ever seen white thistle (in any location, smokey mountains or otherwise?)

Xoxoxo

Black and Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly

These yellow swallowtails have to be the most playful butterflies I have ever seen! They swoop quickly from flower to flower, the flit around with all the other types of butterfly, and I wondered around the cow field full of thistle aimlessly trying to follow them... just to get these pictures.
Thistle is one of those awesome wildflowers that attracts every kind of flying insect I love. It amazes me how the butterfly is flying all around those giant thorns with their delicate wings - perfect precision!
The black swallowtail and the yellow swallowtail were flirting on a light breeze together! How sweet, inter-variety love!!!
XoXo