You might be surprised to learn that the dandelion is in the same plant group as the daisy and sunflower. There is much to learn about this medicinal herb and child's toy. "Children," according to William Stack who wrote about wildflowers in1909, "love to split the smooth, hollow flower stem with their tongues, and make long, spiral curls and ribbons. They also used them for blowing soap-bubbles, and for sipping water from a spring, or by blowing through them (to) produce funny noises."
Stack also comments on the dandelion's abundance, but reminds his readers that, "the solitary flowers are also a welcome sight in the spring."
Do you agree that this early splash of yellow dotting greening lawns is a welcome sight?
No? Well, you are not alone. Google "dandelion" and you will find that dandelion extermination efforts ranks right up there with termites. But this is not a debate for friend or foe. It is a search, like all my blogs, to discover the dandelion as a curiosity of nature (albeit-weed to many).
As we discover more about the dandelion, we will find that it is an oxymoron in the flower world. However, it is precisely this paradox that puts it in the category of "wildflower names that every child should know."
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