Monday, April 19, 2010

Dandelions Call


I know, I know, it is counterproductive to blow on the dandelion seeds. We spend a lot time digging up the plants to keep them from taking over the lawn so this is really not the smart thing to do. But they call to us. There is something compelling about those white puffballs. Maybe it brings us back to childhood when we had no thought of pristine lawns and manicured gardens. Perhaps we delight in the delicate explosion, watching the tiny helicopters take off to parts unknown, wishing that in an often difficult world we could do it, too. Possibly we think deeper, sensing the intelligence behind the dispersal of the seeds, how the plant finds ways through wind and passing creatures and, yes, us, to cultivate new territory and ensure survival. It could be for all those reasons or others. Then again perhaps we do it just because it’s fun.

5 comments:

  1. I am told that dandelions are beneficial to eat in the Spring...who knows?

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  2. dandelions will soon be on the menu in Vineland. They have perfected the art of dandelion salad,dandelion wine,dandelion soup...you get the picture.

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  3. From my kitchen window the dandelions look like substantial yellow flowers at first, and then like delicate white flowers later on. I pretend that I live in the middle of a meadow (that makes me happy) and have no thoughts of pulling them. Of course, once I go outside the pretense is up and see only work work work.

    Claire

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  4. Anonymous - Eat dandelions young or they will be quite bitter.
    Candy - Weeding can be frustrating or, as I try to think of it, a meditation. Don't forget to breathe...

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  5. Ferida - whem I was growing up in Ireland, we used to pick these from the side of the road and blow on them...no wonder there were so many growing wild. Anyway, now I am older and wiser, and I know better...and I grab the 'hound dog' to grab them from the lawn
    -Helen

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