I'm self sufficient in....

[Weedo]

I'm not sure GA - at first glance I would have said Californian or Perennial thistle but if you had this then you would certainly know it - it reproduces by seed and perrenial roots (or pieces spread in cultivation) - difficult to get rid of once established.

From what I can see of the plant form & leaf I suspect yours is another species of the same genus (Cirsium) We only have two species from the genus here but there are several more in the Nth hemisphere

[Green Aura]

Well it definitely spreads by seed - what started off at the top of the field has spread throughout our garden - ably assisted by weather preventing us getting out and stopping it - windy and very wet!
We've slowed it down considerably by making sure we cut it down before it goes to seed. It doesn't seem to have creeping roots - just a long tap root. OH dug up a load a few years ago to make an intriguing recipe for thistle wine we'd found. We may have, inadvertently, found a cure for yeast infections. We threw the entire batch away - although it seemed to have fermented, the sweetness level never reduced, even after adding a second batch of yeast.