Wednesday 9 May 2012

Just Dandy!

I think Dandelions are resourceful, stubborn and resilient little flowers. Of course when they grow in the garden they can be a real pest, but in the fields, on the side of the roads and pathways they are a wonderful splash of colour. Hello yellow!


The flowers are little orbs of sunshine, and quite an interesting flower if you take a close look at them. In fact while I was taking pictures for this post at one point I was lying on the ground taking a closeup and a runner stopped to see if I was in trouble and needed help. I was a bit embarrassed by the encounter but when I got closeup this is what I saw:


Little curly-ques of stamens covered in pollen.

"Taraxacum officinal, the common dandelion (often simply called "dandelion"), is a herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae). It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils." (Wikipedia)


The common dandelion is recognized for bright yellow flower heads that later turn into white or silver globes (these are the fruits and are called cypselae) that blow away on the wind. The globes or fruits are composed of pappi (the individual seed parachutes) that can drift several hundred metres on the wind and can lie dormant for years until conditions are right for germination.




No creature is fully itself till it is, like the dandelion, opened in the bloom of pure relationship to the sun, the entire living cosmos.
- D.H. Lawrence









"It gives one a sudden start in going down a barren, stony street, to see upon a narrow strip of grass, just within the iron fence, the radiant dandelion, shining in the grass, like a spark dropped from the sun."  Henry Ward Beecher





"I was a dandelion puff...Some saw the beauty in me and stooped quietly to admire my innocence. Others saw the potential of what I could do for them, so they uprooted me, seeking to shape me around their needs. They blew at my head, scattering my hair from the roots, changing me to suit them. Yet still others saw me as something that was unworthy and needed to be erased.”    Nicole Bailey-Williams













Next time you see a dandelion, don't think of it as an aggressive nuisance but instead as highly adaptive, spontaneous and assertive. Doesn't it have a lot of qualities that we value and strive for?

Close your eyes, blow and then make a wish, after all most of us are children at heart.

 I think seeing nature's wonders through child-like eyes makes us more human.







In these last two pictures I have caught a small spider sheltering on the seed head of a Dandelion after most of the "parachutes" have blown away in the wind.

 

Here is a larger picture:


"Even when we grow up we can still whisper our wishes upon the wind, as a child does in innocence, breathing their wishes at a dandelion." Jill Hanna



Here's an old favorite from Donovan, "Mellow Yellow":

Here is another splash of yellow, a watercolour of a tulip that  I call "Rays of Sunshine".

"Rays of Sunshine"

 
Here is another new work, it is a poured watercolour, called "Path of Light".




Thank you for stopping by, I love to hear your feedback.

Happy Whimsy Wednesday, until next week...

33 comments:

  1. I very much like your collection of dandelion photos in all the blossoms stages. Personally, I'm fond of them but I know many people don't like them. :))

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  2. Great post. I love dandelions and don't understand why some people try to get rid of them. You photography and art show their beauty so well.

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  3. so sweet. you got some great shots (even if someone thought you were in need of assistance.) :)

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  4. I love dandelions. Always have. This was a wonderful tribute to their resilience and beauty through every stage of life. Your photographs brought out so many hidden aspects that many of us miss, and that spider was wonderful! I will be smiling for some time to come at the story of you lying flat out, trying to show us how you see your world, and a passer-by stopping to offer assistance :) Also love both of your paintings. Another stellar post, Gillian. I enjoyed it so much.

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  5. Great job on the macros and the artwork. Love your Path of Light.

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  6. gorgeous images...but they are still weeds to me!!

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  7. Beautiful shots, Gillian! And your paintings are wonderful! You're very talented!

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  8. You are amazing.....I love this post. First, you've taken excellent macros of these weed and made me look at this plant differently. I did love this flower very much as a child growing up. I never thought of it as a nuisance but something that like to dot our landscape in Wisconsin....but the seed heads were the best. This is a beautiful and delicate post dedicated to a much overlooked plant....and your paintings are beautiful. Thoughtful. Insightful. Each post is like a perfectly planned art piece:)

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  9. I absolutely love your post today. I adore dandelion for its color and the leaves are yummy in salads, Your paintings are wonderful. Do you mind my asking you how long it takes for you to do a painting? And what medium do you use?

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  10. Wonderful study of the dandelion, love your macros! It does take some weird poses to catch some of the low flowering plants.....good to know folks care enough to stop to check on you though.

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  11. Who knew dandelions could be so beautiful! Love your artwork!

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  12. They are so much more beautiful when they are not in my lawn...but I do like them.

    There are fields of gold around here now...beautiful golden yellow swathes of dandilions.

    Jen @ Muddy Boot Dreams

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  13. They are, indeed!!! What a wonderful set of photos...
    And the paintings...adorable. I really enjoyed to come here today! God bless you!
    BShell

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  14. Beautiful dandelions, and, that made me thinking, there are millions of them, you could drink them and eat them in a salad. Wow, that makes a dandelions worth a million. Well, I forget, your paintings, they are beautiful.

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  15. dandelions is great. :)

    Your artwork is very nice. .)

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  16. I really do love stopping in here and reading your blog. I always learn something.. And Your Paintings are amazing. Truely Amazing!!

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  17. I have always had a certain respect for this flower because of its unabashed brightness and refusal to be ignored. An unwanted guest on many lawns it does look pretty along the roadsides. I have even seen it take root in cement. I can imagine the look you got when getting up close to the dandelion. The results are fantastic … I never noticed the tiny ornamental hooks. :)

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  18. I do love dandelions - and even more so now that I've seen your photos.

    Your painting Path of Light is gorgeous!

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  19. Fantastic photographs. I am greeting

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  20. Belle, un giallo stupendo!Felice serata a Te...ciao

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  21. Dandelions are such awesome weeds! Every time I see a field of them, I have such wonderful memories of my childhood! Your paintings are beautiful, I really like "Path of Light"!

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  22. I will not look at a dandelion again in the same where. You really captured some interesting shots.

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  23. Gillian, your images are so beautiful. Fantastic macro shots. You have changed the way I look at dandelions. Have a wonderful weekend!

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  24. A fantastic series of images Gillian and as I scrolled down I kept saying keep going don't stop yet.. and you didn't... a wonderful post.
    Hugs Drew xx

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  25. All your dandelions are so lovely. They are invasive but when we take control they look nice in the corner of the garden. My husband transplanted dandelions from the river bank. I feel like the fluff of a dandelion looks like a universe. Yellow color never fails make me cheerful and optimistic.

    Yoko

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  26. What extravagant beauty in your dandelion photos, and your paintings are wonderful!

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  27. There are many beautiful dandelion photos. Seeing your photos,I became a dandelion fancier too.

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  28. I LOVE Dandys!! and your paintings are amazing ..... Path of Light = Breathtaking!

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  29. like the TV show "here is your life." :)

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  30. Beautiful spring colours. I am greeting

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  31. Gillian - I agree with one of your readers who said that one can always learn something when stopping by your blog. I didn't know that there were so many dandelion quotes. I do look forward to seeing them bloom now on our 3 acre country lawn. The brilliance of their colour dotting the lawn is something I look forward to each spring. It's the first bright colours we see after the green grass and leaves after such our long winters. I love the poured watercolours. It makes me want to try watercolours. Your paintings are always so beautiful!

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  32. Seeing nature through your camera lens makes it even more special! Your macros are especially beautiful.

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  33. A very enjoyable study of dandelions. Gorgeous photos and watercolors. You do have a talent! Mellow Yellow is one of my favorite songs. Takes me back to a simpler time, when all I had to worry about was whether or not I could go to the movies on Saturday night. lol

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