Tag Archives: dandelion

The Surprising Science Behind Dandelion Survival

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Another week… and finally some nicer weather! It’s still a little chilly, but at least the sun was out today. Alas, the dandelions have turned into their little puff ball stage. Gone are the yellow rivers along the curbs, and a snowy, grey blanket has replaced them. If you’ve been following along, we’ve been chatting about the humble weed, and this week is no exception. And we’ll begin with a cool “fun fact”.

Cool.

Did you know that dandelions are “hydrophobic”? Which, for you non-science type folks, means “afraid of water”. Afraid of water? It’s a plant. Sounds a little sus. That means a little off in case you don’t speak teenager. Anyway… it is true. Each dandelion seed is attached to a tiny parachute like structure (called a pappus). The pappus has little hairs, and when the tiny hairs of the pappus are submerged in water, they close up, trapping a water droplet inside, essentially rendering the parachutes dry. Those little puff balls, when dipped in water, do not soak it up; they will come out pretty much dry again. If you want some proof, here’s a little video link to check it out! Dipping Dandelions. Pretty cool, eh?

And since that little puffball can resist a pretty significant downpour or dunking, it might get picked up and blown away. That “wishing flower” can send off upwards of 200 seeds, which have a germination rate of about 90%. Which is likely why we see so many of those yellow flowers blooming again! A pretty successful “weed”. And resilient too. We talked about that, already though (go check it out if you haven’t read the last few weeks of our “study”.)

So let’s muse about it, shall we? Resisting a downpour. Unable to be “wet blankets”. Not harmed by a little outside interference. Sounds pretty protected if you ask me. I’ve been learning about our Godly protection lately. Harnessing His Power to resist the downpours that come our way. Did you know you can be “resistant” too? You have the cool ability to say, nope, not today, Satan. Go ahead, dunk me under if you want… but I am coming out dry on the other side, and then I am gonna spread my wishing flower of 200 plus witness stories, Lord willing! And 90% of those stories will have an impact: and then there will be more of us to resist! Satan and his evil schemes don’t stand a chance. Dandelions seem to keep popping up year after year, no matter how much weed killer you might spray. We just get encouraged and float over from someone else’s wishes.

Spread a little sunshine, my friends!

So stand tall, my little puff balls! Resist the downpour. Fight back and make wishes. Spread a little sunshine and happiness to the next lawn over. Or float on the breeze and go as far as the wind will take you. Then take root, and pop up with glory to smile at another spring! Blessings, dear ones!

Embracing Resilience: Life Lessons from Dandelions

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Welcome back to a little calmer week in the Mitton Household. Perhaps calmer, but no less busy. Unfortunately, the weather didn’t cooperate with all we wanted to accomplish this past weekend, but here we are nonetheless. It has certainly been a wet, dismal few days. And here we are back on a Tuesday post! Back on track (at least for now! lol) Last week, we decided to sit with a little theme on “The Humble Dandelion”. Consequently, we’ll jump right in with my thoughts: Dandelions are seemingly very resilient!

Despite the rainy weather, we did get a little break in the clouds on Sunday… just enough for me to plant a few pots of annuals in our otherwise full front garden. The hubby cut the grass. As I sauntered down the side steps of the porch, I was struck by two things: One, a huge dandelion with about 4 blooms growing out of the gravel of the paving stones, and two, how many dandelions were back after cutting the lawn! Resistant and resilient!

I’ve heard it said that grass lawns started as a sign of wealth. Pick a non useful, time consuming -to- grow crop, like grass, and flood your front lawn with it to prove yourself worthy to the neighbours. Who came up with that plan? We should have just let the wildflowers and weeds alone and filled our yards with colour… the yellow dandelions are there anyway! And they even grow in the poorest soil (in my case gravel!) of the side pathway. In abundance! I haven’t pulled it out yet… just because. Just because it’s showing me that yup, I am here and here with a vengeance!

And since we’re using A.I. why not generate an image…this is not my path… and dandelions have leaves too! 🙂

Let’s explore it a bit more, shall we? Admittedly, A.I. generated some interesting thoughts on the “resilience of dandelions”, so, although not my own thoughts, they accompanied my musings so well, I thought I’d share. We already talked about their persistence. Those little blooms can get mowed under and still pop back up, seemingly unharmed. They can withstand the harsh environments! Dandelions are certainly adaptable. Perfectly manicured lawns are dotted with them occasionally when the owners slip up, and open fields, rocks, hills and my gravel pathway see the spring returns of the weed. They’ll grow anywhere!

I suppose blooming in adversity and taking root in difficult places coincide – demonstrating their ability to adapt to harsh environments, they easily overcome adversity. Plus, dandelions seemingly have the ability to find solutions to said adversity, and bloom and grow even in challenging situations. Persistence. Perseverance. Adaptability. Do you see where I am going here? Of course you do. Obviously, we can take a little lesson from the God-given weeds. The humble yellow flower.

Take chances. Make mistakes and get mowed under, but rise to the challenge and pop up again, unfazed. Our environments should not dictate how we bloom for Jesus. The rocky soil may be tough, but we can do it. Do you work or play in a “ungodly” place? Do you hear the words and struggle to remain holy in an unholy environment? If God can give the little dandelion a place to bloom and flourish every spring, then He certainly has plans for you to “bloom where you are planted”!

Photo by photokip.com on Pexels.com

It’s a simple concept. Perhaps even a Sunday School lesson, not one fit for an internet blog post, but if A.I. can pump it out, then I suppose it is worth thinking about at least! So, go ahead. Pluck that weed out of your pathway, but pause and think about how it survived there in the first place. God helped that little seed float on its way. Perhaps blown in the wind by some little puff from a toddler delighting in the parade of white seed parachuted away by a huff! Then it floated and settled not where it was comfortable or easy, but where it was rocky and harsh. Yet, it survived and thrived! Now go out and do the same, my friend, do the same!

Be Prepared!

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As I write that title, renditions of the enemy Scar’s battle cry from Disney’s Lion King rings in my head, but it is not really where I want this post to go. I first started thinking about this topic when I was out the other day, walking the puppy, when I came upon two fully blooming dandelion flowers. Now, one must remember it is the middle of a Canadian November… and dandelions arrive in the spring! Not to mention it shouldn’t be warm enough for the yellow weeds to be flourishing in the sidewalk cracks of my neighbour’s yard. But there they were in all their yellow glory! So, it had me musing about how God gave these little guys such resistant powers. Born to be survivors. A reminder to me of how we are to be used at just the right time… even if it doesn’t seem like the right time!

Those thoughts grew and morphed as I began to think about “preparedness”. I’d like to think I am prepared for things… I pack lunches the night before, make lists, set dates in the calendar, trip planning (remember that?!). Truth is, I am terrible at packing. I either bring everything… or try and survive on one pair of shoes. I find packing hard… I can book appointments though. So maybe it all balances out in the end. Preparing is like that, maybe. Perhaps we all pool our strengths together and “prepare” together. Yeah, work together, that’s it…

Christmas will be here soon. I know some of you are gung ho for the holidays and have the tree and lights up already and have been playing caroles since November first. We wait a little longer here at the Mitton house before pulling out the ornament boxes. Nonetheless, my thoughts are going forward as I wonder what 2020 Christmas will look like. The pandemic has forced us to stall preparations for concerts, potlucks and any sort of gatherings. Will we all be baking more and indulging in our own freezer filled collection of goodies because we have no one to share it with? Or will we prepare less, knowing Christmas may be a little quieter this year? Will gifts require more thought and preparation because we have to order them online versus braving the malls? Will we ever remember to make sure we have masks on and in the car? (How many times have you had to run back ? Come on, Be honest.)

I follow a few families on Instagram who still practice “preparation day” where they prepare for a day of rest and Sabbath the day before. Meals are cooked, chores done and clothes are laid out. It’s probably a good discipline, and I am not often as mindful of God’s day of rest as I should be. All too often my days all blend together and very little gets “set aside” for God and God alone. There always seems something more to do, or more to catch up on. But we have been called to be a light, to show the way, and to be prepared for His coming again:

76 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways;

77 To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,

78 Through the tender mercy of our God; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,

79 To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.

Luke 1:76-79 KJV

So, as Scar sings about “the death of the King”, we should be looking forward to the “birth of the King” as we go into the holiday season, and the “coming of the King” as that day draws ever so near!! Perhaps it will look a little different this year… out of the ordinary. Yet, maybe those little November dandelions will inspire us all to bloom in the midst of challenges, to be strong when the cold winds blow… and to be prepared for whatever 2020 throws at us!