The stories La tells....

And why did it take me sooooo long to put up my last Dandelion post? (I know you're just dying to know) Because there is sooo much out there about the Dandelion! Who knew??



Did you know?....Dandelions are sensitive to the weather. In good weather the head is fully open but if rain threatens it closes up. Also, the dandelion is said to close up against the dew around 5pm and to open up again at 7am. (Wonder if that's why it's called a clock?) Although this behaviour is said to depend on the intensity if the light so the times differ at different lattitudes and seasons.

Long, long ago, the flowers had a huge argument about which of them was the most beautiful, the most special, the most loved by the humans and by the fairies. The argument lasted for weeks, with each flower claiming to be the most beautiful and the most loved. Finally, all of the flowers agreed to let the Flower Fairies decide.

The Flower Fairies sent they're gentlest and kindest of spirit fairy to settle the problem and to give one plant her blessing and the title of the "most perfect" flower. The little Fairy decided to test each flower by asking them one question.

The first flower the Fairy talked to was the Rose.
"Where would you most like to live?" she asked it.
"I would like to climb the castle wall." said the Rose. "And then kings and queens and nobles would pass by everyday and exclaim over my beauty, my scent and my delicate nature."
The Flower Fairy walked sadly away from the Rose.

Next the Fairy came to a tulip, standing tall and proud. "Where would you most like to live?" she asked the Tulip.
"Oh, I want to live in a public garden" said the Tulip. "Where everyday people would come and admire my wonderful colors and see how straight and tall I stand." Once again, the Fairy walked a way feeling sad.

She walked until she came to a forest. There she found some Violets. She asked them "Where would you most like to live, little Violets?" "Oh" said the violets quietly "We like it here hidden in the woods where no one can see us and where the trees keep the sun from dulling our beautiful color." The fairy thanked the Violets and walked on looking for more flowers to talk to.

She talked to the Tiger Lily who was much too wild and fierce.
She talked to the Sunflower who barely answered her because all she wanted to do was be warmed by the sun.
The little Flower Fairy talked to the Orchids who only wanted to be taken out to dances and she tried to talk to the Narcissus but it was too busy looking at it's reflection in the water to speak to her.

The little Fairy, with tears in her eyes, was ready to give up and go home when she came to a field with bright fluffy yellow flowers on long thin stalks. The leaves were long and jagged and very close to the ground. But the flowers....oh how happy and cheerful they looked in the field!

"Little one" said the Flower Fairy "What are you called and where would you like to live?"

"I am a dandelion" said the little flower."I'd like to live where ever there are children. I want to live beside the road, and in the meadows, and push up between the sidewalks in the cities, and make everyone feel happier when they see my bright colors." The Dandelion chattered on happily saying "I want to be the first flower that the children pick in the spring and take to their mothers. And I could tell if a child likes butter by being rubbed under their chins, and if a child makes a wish and blows my seeds, I could carry that wish on the wind."

The Flower Fairy smiled brightly and said "Little Dandelion, you are the most perfect and special flower of all and you shall have your wish! You will blossom everywhere from spring till fall, and be known as the children's flower."

And this is why the dandelion comes so early and pushes her head up everywhere with such strength and determination. And why she is so loved by children throughout her long life.

(retold by LLL,Storyteller)

More Dandelion Trivia:
It is said that after Theseus, the Greek hero, slew the Minotaur, a monster that was half man and half bull and lived in a labyrinth, he ate a Dandelion salad.

The number of inches a child will grow in the coming year is said to be foretold by the tallest dandelion stalk he can find.

Dandelions were declared an endangered wildflower in England.

Oh yes....and for those of you interested in making Dandelion Wine, I have two sources for recipes The Slow Cook: What to do with Dandelions and The Source of this pic of Dandelion Wine Ingredients

Weeds are flowers too, once you get to know them
- A. A. Milne, Eeyore from Winnie the Pooh





I love Dandelions!
Love looking at them…love it when they take over a yard (okay usually someone else's) ……love to see fields of dandelions in bloom.
I am the kind of dandelion lover that takes joy in blowing the seeds off the dandelion clocks and making sure they spread far and wide (and I don't have a problem with them landing in folks yards by the hundreds).
Basically this makes me a big kid.
Have you noticed that almost all children love to pick dandelions and present the wilted bouquets to a truly thrilled parent.
They love to blow dandelion clocks (why are they called clocks?).
Children can not and will not see dandelions as unwanted…as weeds.
All they see is bright, shiny yellow suns surrounded by a field of green.
I LOVE Dandelions!!

Alright, now that I have gotten that out of my system….lets talk about all of the wonderful stories, poems, quotes, children's books and even songs dedicated to or at least mentioning the Dandelion. And then, there are all the wonderful uses that folks have found for the dandelion. Not to mention...but I will anyway...the folklore surrounding the dandelion.
So much information, so little time.
Hmmm...before I get started let me say that all of this information, the stories, the quotes, the odd facts, etc. make a heck of a lesson plan or storytelling presentation. There are just so many ways you can use the information.
Alrighty then! Here are various bits of info in no paticular order. Have fun!!

DANDELION'S COMMON/FOLKORE NAMES
Lion’s Tooth, Blowball, Swine’s Snout, Wild Endive, White Endive, Cankerwort,Piss-a-bed, Priest’s Crown, Blowball, Puffball, Fairy Clock, Yellow Gowan, Irish Daisy, Peasant’s Cloak

According to one legend, in ancient days the earth was populated by fairies, elves and gnomes. When the first humans arrived, they could not see the elves, fairies and gnomes which was a big problem because they kept stepping on them. The gnomes and elves began hiding behind rocks and underground. The fairies were too fond of the sunlight to stay underground long. Due to their love of the sun, they tended to dress in bright yellow gowns, which made it difficult for them to hide in the fields. In desperation, they turned themselves into Dandelions. You'll notice that if you step on a dandelion they spring back. This is because they hold the spirit of the fairies.

Did you know?....When you blow on a Dandelion Clock, it is said that the seeds are really fairy transportation. In return for helping a fairy on it's way, you are given a wish.

Here's a fabulous recipe for Dandelion Lemonade
And this link has a recipe for Dandelion Lemonade and Dandelion Fritters . Nummy!!


The recipe for this dandelion salad can be found at Beansprouts


Oh, hardy flower, disdained as weed,
Despised for head of feathery seed,
Your unsung virtues rate a ballad,
Choice roots for wine, crisp leaves for salad.
- Betty Gay, Dandelion

Dear common flower, that grow'st beside the way,
Fringing the dusty road with harmless gold,
First pledge of blithesome May,
Which children pluck, and, full of pride, uphold,
High-hearted buccaneers, o'erjoyed that they
An Eldorado in the grass have found,
Which not the rich earth's ample round
May match in wealth, thou art more dear to me
Than all the prouder summer-blooms may be.
- James Russell Lowell, To the Dandelion

Some children's books about Dandelions:
Dandelions by Eve Bunting and Greg Shed (Grades 4-8)
Dandelion by Don Freeman (K to 2)
The Dandelion Seed by Joseph Anthony (K to 2)
Dandelion Adventures by L. Patricia Kite

"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

"You cannot forget if you would those golden kisses all over the cheeks of the meadow, queerly called dandelions.”
Henry Ward Beecher

Mmmmm..Good!(from the Delicious Dandelion)

All parts of the dandelion are used as food and medicine. Young leaves are a great addition to salads and sandwiches. They also can be steamed and sautéed like spinach.
Dandelion leaves contain 7,000 units of vitamin A per ounce. (By comparison, a carrot has only 175 units per ounce.) One-half cup of raw dandelion leaves contains 398 milligrams potassium, 68 milligrams ascorbic acid, 35 milligrams vitamin C, 900 micrograms niacin, 200 micrograms thiamin, 3 milligrams iron and 2.7 grams protein — quite a power-packed plant!
Dandelion flowers also are edible, adding flavor and color to butter and other spreads. I coat them in a sweet tempura batter, sauté them in sunflower oil and serve them as appetizers.
The roots are gathered in the spring for their medicinal value and in the fall for their food reserve. Traditionally, the roots are dried, roasted, ground and drunk as a coffee substitute. I mix the roasted root with the roasted roots of burdock and chicory for a robust tea that contains no caffeine — only nutrition and flavor.
European herbalists consider the dandelion one of the best herbs for building up the blood when a person has anemia. This plant has been cultivated and used in India as a remedy for liver complaints.

source Delicious Dandelion

Hmmmm....after all of this information, I have to conclude that the Dandelion is a much more loved than I had first thought.
So, turn off your computers and go outside and pick a few dandelions...or maybe just lie in the grass and appreciate the beauty and the usefulness of the dandelion.

I'll leave with a song.....Dandelion by the Rolling Stones.