I love the silver spheres of dandelion seed heads, the magical globes of "wishes" ready to be blown away on a hopeful breath. On local walking paths and ecologically friendly herbicide-free lawns and sports fields the shaggy golden crowns have flourished and have given way now to seed heads that catch the setting sun and glow like lamps in the early evening hours.
It is a mixed blessing, leaving nature alone. If natural and beautiful the dandelions are also invasive and I have spent some hours on my knees uprooting the shaggy darlings from my flower beds. I usually find, on brushing my knees and finishing up, that some healthy specimens have escaped the purge. Sometimes I'll put them in a jar, to paint. But in their proper place, among tall grasses and buttercups, they surely must be sign posts to the fairies' meeting places.Acorn Moon's beautiful post about buttercups sent me hunting through my bookshelves for a long-remembered image from "Faberge, Jeweler to Royalty", the Spray of Buttercups.
("...in gold enameled translucent yellow and green over engraved grounds, and cornflowers enameled translucent blue with diamond centers, with green gold stalks and leaves in a rock crystal jar. A diamond, ruby and black-enameled bee in red gold is poised on one of the buttercups. " Height 9 inches. From the collection of H.M. Queen Elizabeth, The Queen Mother).I know that somewhere I have seen a photo of a Faberge dandelion too, but it is not in this book nor in any other I have here, which is a mystery. As I recall it had little diamonds clustered at the centre or accenting individual seeds. Perhaps it is time to find a dandelion puff and make a wish to find the lovely thing again.
(If it is fern seed that confers invisibility on fairy folk perhaps the airborne feathery dandelion seed boosts levitation?)
Best fairy wishes to all, whatever your heart's desire may be.
When I was little I thought Dandelion seed heads were fairys flying in the wind.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful painting.x
The meadows here are full of dandelions and the air is thick with seeds looking for new places to live. We used to play "what time is it?" by blowing the clocks so it is not hard to imagine your little fairy floating in the breeze.
ReplyDeleteThanks for posting the Faberge flowers, they are exquisite! I don't usually like artificial flowers but I could happily find a place for those!
There is a lot of magic and wonderful mystery in dandelions.
ReplyDeleteAt least until you start to dig them out of the backyard. lol
Strangely my Word Verification is èlfjeter.
Now dandelion heads are one of the things I find more difficult to love as an adult. When I was child I did think them the most magical of things, looked eagerly for them.
ReplyDeleteNow I associate them with a close personal relationship with a trowel.
Faberge I tend to associate with the Romanovs more than anything, and that's actually rather nice. Poignant beauty, a little bit sad. Excess that's easy to feel a little bit uncomfortable viewing, while still being able to see how exquisite they are.
Actually, Faberge works are like the Romanovs themselves. Very beautiful, but their downfall is in a little too much opulence. Things to be viewed at a distant, and appreciated for their beauty, and yet...it isn't entirely comfortable beauty.
Or maybe that's just me :-)
Happy Nearly Summer!
What a beautiful post! I love clocks, they bring back so many childhood memories. And they're so pretty too! I know what you mean about mixed blessings. We get loads on our lawn and I hate seeing them mowed down but it has to be done. I really liked the way you described them as "seed heads that catch the setting sun and glow like lamps in the early evening hours". Such an perfect and accurate image. Simply lovely.
ReplyDelete