The Dance of the Dandelions
One of nature’s superhero’s…
"There are always flowers for those who want to see them."
~ Henry Matisse
Hello Creative Souls,
Welcome to my March newsletter - I am sitting at the kitchen table with a cup of tea and a bar of chocolate, a small treat as I sit and look out onto the garden that has been prepared for spring. March is a changeable month when it comes to the weather, the garden, nature and the wildlife. Whilst walking my doggy companion the other morning I noticed the first dandelion in a wet muddy field and I thought to myself, what a little ray of sunshine on a dull and dank day. This little golden flower brightened my day and it reminded me of a post I wrote last year, which I published on my website, before I joined Substack, so I thought I would share my post here and do a bit of recycling.
The start of astronomical spring starts on 20th March and the pagan celebration of spring is called Ostara. In the UK our clocks go forward one hour on 31st March, which means our evenings stay lighter for longer and we feel more energised by the longer hours of daylight. So far, we’ve had some sunshine and a fair amount of wind and rain, triggering the growth of many spring flowers and blossom. I love walking past people’s gardens and having a little nosey to see what flowers are growing. The bright colours of the camellia flowers on shiny evergreen bushes, the soft pink magnolia flowers on the trees and it goes without saying the joy that swathes of daffodils bring, their bright yellow heads swaying in the breeze, hellebores, primroses and hyacinths, amongst the few, so much delight and inspiration given to us by nature.
As a gardener I have been desperate to get outside to tend to my raised beds, but we have to be wary at this time of the year and not be fooled by the odd day of sunshine as it’s easy to get caught out by the frost. However, yesterday I topped up the raised beds with some new organic compost and manure, as I mixed the two with the existing soil I found lots of wriggly worms. I may regret it, but I couldn’t resist planting some seeds, I have sown carrots, purple carrots, parsnips, radish, globe artichoke and ginger. As a friend once said to me, there are two outcomes.
One of my favourite flowers that pop up and grow abundantly in the fields and most people's gardens are the bright yellow dandelions. These wonderfully cheerful plants, that have been a frustration of many gardener's lives are gradually popping up all over the place. On a dog walk, dandelions are easily spotted, shining bright, like little patches of sunshine. The Dandelion opens up fully in the sun and closes in the rain. As a child I remember sitting with my friends, picking the fluffy dandelion heads and blowing on them profusely to tell the time, getting the white sticky sap on my fingers and later forgetting, getting a bitter taste on my tongue, worrying that I had picked the dandelions and I may wet the bed! Watching the seed heads blow across the field as they got caught on the wind. I remember thinking, where are they going and how far will they get? I am going to share with you why these plants are definitely not weedy, but actually the superhero of the natural world.
The Song of the Dandelion Fairy
Here's the dandelion's rhyme:
See my leaves with toothlike edges;
Blow my clocks to tell the time;
See me flaunting by the hedges,
In the meadow, in the lane,
Gay and naughty in the garden;
Pull me up - I grow again,
Asking neither leave nor pardon.
Sillies, what are you about
With your spades and hoes of iron?
You can never drive me out - Me, the dauntless Dandelion
This poem has been taken from Cicely Mary Barker's book, Flower Fairies of the Spring, which contain some beautiful rhymes and illustrations.
The dandelion is also known as lion’s teeth, pissenlit, blow clock, fairy clock, canker weed, priest's crown and swine's snout, or in latin, Taraxacum Officinale.
The Herb Almanac states that, legend has it that blowing fluffy dandelion clocks releases trapped fairies who will grant a wish, but only if none are left behind. Alternatively, if seeds remain, their number symbolises either one's number of future children or years of life left. Make sure you blow them on sunny days as the seed heads only open on dry days. Dandelion seedheads are also a barometer: if they fly off when there is no wind, it means rain is coming.
The dandelion is nature's great healer: a potent natural medicine recommended by Arab physicians in the eleventh century. Dandelions contain more vitamins B, C and pro-vitamin A than many vegetables or fruits and are rich in proteins, sugar, fat and numerous mineral salts including high levels of potassium.
Dandelions provide leaves for salads, soups or stir-fries, flowers raw or fried and roots as a root veg, or dried and roasted as a coffee substitute, which in the UK during WWII was widely used as an acceptable substitution. Dry the leaves for a herbal tea. I would advise that you should only use dandelions that have had no nasty pesticides or weed killer sprayed on them! Please be aware that in Britain there are legally binding codes that prohibit digging up any kind of root unless you have the landowners permission. If you decide to go foraging, do so with care and maybe consult an expert first.
Dandelions are particularly prevalent in spring but are available all year round. On the Eve of St John which is the 23rd June, you can pick the leaves to ward off witches.
As a gardener I have been guilty of digging the roots out of my lawn. However, this year I will be leaving them be as they are an important early source of food for birds and pollinators, providing nectar for bees, beetles and butterflies. I have already spotted a peacock butterfly basking on a dandelion and feeding.
According to herbalists, the milky sap that oozes from the leaf and stem bases can cure warts and pimples by applying the sap to the skin.
I drink an organic dandelion, burdock & hawthorn tea by Heath & Heather. An afternoon treat with a spoonful of organic runny honey stirred in. Dandelion is said to stimulate digestion and consequently benefit inflamed skin and joints.
An old wives tale suggests that getting children to smell dandelions on May Day, 1st May, will stop bed wetting for a year! Quite the opposite to my belief that if you picked one you'd wet the bed as it's a powerful diuretic and it has been named Jack-piss-the-bed, pissy beds, tiddle-beds, wet-the-bed and piss-a-bed.
Whilst researching dandelions and their magical uses I came across a lovely You Tube channel. The video is called 'The Power of Dandelions' and the channel is Danu's Irish Herb garden. Danu is a herbalist and a teacher, who provides herbal courses. I will leave her website link under resources.
Dandelion is a wonderful medicinal plant that can be made into salves, tinctures, teas and even honey. Mother Earth has provided us with everything we need to heal, so instead of seeing this plant as a weed that needs to be destroyed, maybe we should see this plant as a miraculous healer that helps us to become empowered when it comes to aspects of our health and well-being.
I hope you have enjoyed reading all about the wonderful properties of dandelions dear reader, whether it’s for the first time or for some, the second time. It leaves me to wish you all a happy spring and Easter-time, enjoy the great awakening, the extra daylight and hopefully some sunshine!
Stay naturally curious…
Clare 🪺🌷🌼
Resources
The Power of Dandelions - Danu's Irish Herb Garden - YouTube
www.danuirishherbgarden.com
Britain's Wildflowers, A treasury of Traditions, Superstitions, Remedies & Literature by Rosamund Richardson
The Herb Almanac. A Seasonal Guide to Medicinal Plants, written by Holly Farrell
Collins Botanical Bible. A Pratical Guide to Wild and Garden Plants by Sonya Patel Ellis
Illustrated Guide to Wild Flowers by Stephen Blackmore
One of my favorite flowers!
Well if we can’t have the sun a dandelion will have to do 🌞