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What has a shaggy golden mane and jagged green teeth? It lurks in grass and is considered so dangerous that is hunted regularly. You're right if you guessed the dandelion. Its name comes from the French and means "tooth of the lion." The jagged leaves do look like a lion's teeth, don't they? But dangerous? Dandelions don't roar, and they don't bite. Every spring, the dandelion is first to bring color to places where nothing else blooms. Between cracks in the sidewalk or along fences lined with litter, the bright yellow flower grows tall and proud. It is one tough plant. But this sunshine-colored flower also likes to live where green grass grows. Some people work hard to make their grass look just like a green carpet. They don't like the dandelion. They think the dandelion is an ugly weed. Poison is sometimes used to try to kill this pesky plant. Some people, not wanting to pollute the earth, use special tools to dig down deep and cut the plant out by its long root. but the dandelion is strong and keeps coming back. How does this happen? The secret is its head. When the dandelion gets old, its golden flower turns to white fluff. As the wind blows, hundreds of white tufts float peacefully away. It is in this gentle moment that the dandelion shows how ferocious it can be. Each soft tuft is a tiny seed that will grow a new dandelion. So you decide. Does the dandelion remind you of the warm sun, or of a fierce but quiet lion? Is it beautiful or ugly? No matter which way you look at it, the dandelion is one dandy plant! Photo: C. McCaw, ©2008 |
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| What's so Dandy About the Dandelion? appeared in Ladybug, the magazine for young children, June 2006 | |||
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gabrielegoldstone@yahoo.ca |
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