Exploding Thistle

On one of our regular walks we go along a green lane that is full of thistles on either side. They are covered in bees, butterflies and flies at the moment which are difficult to photograph as they keep flying up around you as you walk past.  This particular thistle must have been bigger than most as it seems to have burst into a big pillow of seeds, and this fly was tucking in to something, quite oblivious to me.