Monday, April 19, 2010

Dent de Lion



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.

3 comments:

  1. My four year old daughter calls then Daniel Lions. ;-)

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  2. I think I much prefer the Italian version, though personally, I detest the plant itself as it destroys our plants. = )
    Blessings,
    Kate

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  3. Your pictures are just fabulous, Shannon!

    I'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

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