This rather unassuming plant hardly seems to merit its name -- "Dandelion" is a corruption of the French "dent de lion," or "lion's tooth" (so called because of the spiky leaves.
Of course, if you prefer a different language, you could always go with the German "Loewenzahn," the Welsh "dant y llew," or the Italian "diente di leone." All of which sound rather noble for a weed!
The little dandelion above (in the "parachute ball" stage) is growing quite contentedly in front of our apartment building. Such a happy, whimsical plant! I am so grateful that God gave us such beauty and diversity on our planet -- even when it comes in the form of a lion's tooth.
My four year old daughter calls then Daniel Lions. ;-)
ReplyDeleteI think I much prefer the Italian version, though personally, I detest the plant itself as it destroys our plants. = )
ReplyDeleteBlessings,
Kate
Your pictures are just fabulous, Shannon!
ReplyDeleteI've always loved dandelions, and used to pick them when I was quite young. I would then boil them in water (this is not a joke!) and "serve" them to my father. My poor mother would then be quite busy distracting me so that my father could dispose of my "cooking!"
Blessings,
Luci