The Dandelion Queen

I can't help but smile, as I watch my daughter flit through the yard. She is daintily tip-toeing from one yellow dandelion to another singing a spring song that she makes up as she goes along. The birds in the trees, inspired by her voice are crooning their own tune. She carries a fist full of golden flowers adding to it with each step. Delicately, she picks one, as if it were a perfect rose made just for her. These weeds, as some would call them, are no less than a miracle in her world of childhood. She has been making it a daily ritual to pick "her flowers," as she calls them. The fruits of her labor are scattered through out our home. They look just as sweet in a crystal vase as they do in a chipped teacup. Not because the flowers are a thing of beauty but because they were gathered with love and given from the heart. Although it has been more years than I care to admit, I too had a fondness for these little orbs of sunshine.

Some of my sweetest summer memories are of waking up to discover the lawn of my childhood home dotted with hundreds of golden gems, as if they were created over night for my pleasure. I spent endless hours collecting enough to make into necklaces and crowns so I could be the queen of dandelions. My excitement grew as the days passed and they turned from yellow dots to little white clouds. After making a wish, I would blow as hard as I could thinking all the little seeds were flying away to make it come true. A neighbor even showed me how to fry dandelions in a pan. I can't say I enjoyed the taste but I was amused.

I listen with regret as my husband outlines his plan to do away with the dandelions. He, like most homeowners that tend their lawns, considers them an eyesore. Weeds, that if left to grow will spread like wildfire. When did the world turn against dandelions? Is it a mindset that happens as we mature? Anything that we did not choose to plant is considered a nuisance and deserves our wrath? The grown up world thrives on order and routine. There is no room; it seems, for a little unexpected beauty. What if we were to add dandelions to our gardens making them something to admire and enjoy? Perhaps farmers could have fields of dandelions similar to sunflower fields, using the plants for their many benefits. These modest flowers really do have a lot more worth than most gardeners give them credit for. Dandelions can be used to make salads, jam and even wine. The milk held in each hollow stem is said to be an insect repellent and even a wart remover. Why would such a handy little flower be considered an adversary to be stamped out and destroyed?

I would love to help rid dandelions of their bad reputation. If not for myself then for my daughter and all children who love these special flowers. I consider dandelion picking a rite of childhood that should be encouraged and celebrated. Preserving something so simple may seem unimportant but childhood is such a fleeting time in one's life, I feel it is a worthy cause. Birthday parties and holiday celebrations meld and blur until they become one intertwined recollection. It's the small, quiet memories that stay with us and shape our lives. The next time you pass a yard scattered with bright yellow dots, try not to think of them as an eyesore. Remember, beauty is in the eye of the dandelion holder.

©2007 Heather Durren, ASP, IAHSP
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