“Show me a man, who
when a boy, did not hold a Buttercup under his own or another’s chin that he,
by reflection of its brilliant yellow cup, determine to what degree his
subject, “liked butter,” and I will show you a man who has not experienced a
full share of the joyous thrills of a genuine, glorious childhood. This custom
is an old and popular one, and comes from a
“Knowledge never learned in schools
Of the wild bee’s morning chase
Of the wild flower’s time and place.”
---Wild Flowers
Every Child Should Know by Frederic William Stack,
May 1909
Stack,
a field collector for Museums of Scientific Section of Vassar Brothers
Institute and of Natural History at Vassar college, penned these word 103 years
ago. Yet, they are just as true in our out-of-control 21st century.
Who thinks of taking the time to pick a buttercup and hold it under a child’s
chin?
Such a simple thing. A moment in
time that takes place in an instant but lasts through generations. This is the
joy of the simple buttercup. This is the joy of sharing nature with children.
