This was meant to be a three-photo story, but I got carried away. The re-appearance of Dandelions every spring makes me happy. They are a very clever plant. The above photo shows a whorl of Dandelion leaves in a spot that gets mowed periodically. They have "learned" that a mower might be coming, so the buds form below the blades whenever possible. This particular plant was probably mowed a dozen times last summer, so it has come back ready for another season.
Another survival "trick" of Dandelions is a fat and deep tap root. It can store enough energy that no matter what happens above the surface - mowing, grazing, or evens poisons up to a point - it can support the growth of a whole new stem and set of leaves, ready for another round of seed making.
I photographed this one in a nearby area that never gets mowed. The buds formed around six inches above the surface, and the stem will get another few inches taller before the blossom goes to seed.
So, these three photos, taken this morning, accompany the story I had in mind, just a little celebration of Dandelions' ability to survive. The remaining photos are from my archives, all taken in 2012, and are just a further celebration.
This group were in the forest a few hundred yards from my house in a place that never gets mowed. These "free and happy" dandelions sometimes send their buds up 2 feet or more above the surface before blooming.
This one was photographed on the practice football field at Quincy High School before it was mowed. I believe it was in May. There were many thousands of Dandelions blooming, and as I walked slowly across the field, I saw many insect wonders including this hovering bee.
Many types of flies like Dandelions, too, and if you click on this one you'll see more detail in the blossom. It's pretty incredible. Dandelions are composites, in the Family Asteraceae, so this "flower" is actually several hundred individual flowers in a cluster.
Another bee coming in for a landing. For a similar composition, but with the bee approaching a Lupine, search for plumascounty.org. The slide show on the home page begins with my photo taken at Table Mountain. Many people have told me that for them it captures the spirit of spring.
My son loves Dandelions, too. While this might seem destructive to the extreme Dandelion lover, I can assure you that my son loves Dandelions alive, too. But he also loves fire and when he discovered the almost explosive nature of a cluster of mature seeds, he had to ignite a few to watch the fires. They burst into flames rather quickly, and if a sufficient quantity were confined, I'm sure it would be explosive. Most people would agree that we have no shortage of Dandelions, so I hope this activity is not considered cruel.
I've titled this one "Dandelion Fun #2."
Playing with my camera settings, I was able to get a dark background. I call this one simply "Art."
I got lucky again with insects. I was attempting to photograph the cluster of beetles when a butterfly, or possibly a skipper, flew in. There's always great drama around Dandelions if you are patient enough to wait. Some years ago I learned of a Dandelion Preservation Society. It was dedicated to disseminating positive information about Dandelions and discouraging the use of herbicides. They are edible, and quite nutritious. They make good wine. The list goes on. Today I did an internet search for the society and the only information I could find indicated that the society has closed down. Other websites, maybe copy cats, were selling artsy-craftsy stuff with dandelion images. Seemed more dedicated to commerce than preservation.
One last tidbit. The name comes from the French dent de lion which means lion's tooth and describes the margins of the leaves.
Lovely
ReplyDelete