In Praise of Dandelions: A reflection on the real resurrection flower
For Earth Day 2020
Earlier this week, I braved the grocery store in the midst of the pandemic that rages throughout our planet, this 50th anniversary of Earth Day. My face mask covered me so that at times I couldn’t really see all that was in front of me. I managed with a few adjustments. When I reached the produce section, my favorite part of the store, I stood, enjoying the colors and shapes and surprises that greeted my gaze. Since it is spring, there were baskets full of all kinds of greens. Fresh spinach and lettuce, leeks and spring onions, and one basket that contained something that I never remember seeing in a grocery store before.
It took me a moment or two to identify the greens that were overflowing the basket. I wasn’t sure until I read the tag above it. There was the proof. Right here in my Parkersburg, WV Kroger, there were dandelion greens and I am not ashamed to say that I exclaimed with delight!
Dandelions!
I don’t know when my love affair with dandelions began, exactly, nor do I remember when I began to think of them as the real resurrection flower. I just know that for several decades now, when I see the first yellow blossoms of spring, almost hiding in the new shoots of green grass, my heart soars. When I see the first fluffy heads of dandelion seeds—wispy, white, almost a perfect ball—I remember the delight I had as a child, picking them, holding them high above my head, and then whirling around and around until all of the seeds had flown away on the breeze.
To continue Dandelions as Resurrection
