Well it’s Montana in April, what can you expect but below-zero temps and snow?  In the brief hiatus between this snow and the last one, I saw a yellow face peeping through the crusty white–it appeared to be laughing.  People say that Dandelions are tough and hardy, and it’s true (you kind of have to be tough and hardy if you’re a weed).  But when I think of those two words, they don’t somehow describe the cheeriness of dandelions to me.  I picture “tough and hardy” as weatherbeaten and scraggly, clinging to life with harsh determination and no regard to grace or beauty.  Some might argue with me that dandelions have no grace and beauty.  For those, I suggest the following:

Pick a fresh dandelion flower.  First, close your eyes and hold it just under your nose.  Take a deep breath.  Do you smell it?  So lovely!  The sweet fresh scent, the epitome of Spring!  Now hold it as close to your eyes as you can without going blurry (if you’re far-sighted, put your reading glasses on).  Look at that!  Just LOOK at that– the amazing burst of color, and all those tiny tiny intricate petals, all curved just so around and around, a perfect graceful spiral of bright honey-warm sunshine.  Ah, Dandelion!

Here’s another way to view Dandelion:  Find a field where dandelions are allowed to grow in their natural state, ie without poisons, sprays or mowing.  You’ll see them scattered in patches and clumps across the landscape, bending gently in the breeze, growing tall and proud with large firm flowers and brigh green, upstanding leaves.  Stand back and take in the field as a whole.  Squint your eyes and see how Dandelion adds to the beauty of the whole, brightening and sweetening, setting off the green of the grass and telling you that it is most definitely SPRING!

As for the cheerful face that laughingly peeped at me through the snow yesterday afternoon, which is now once again burried under whiteness…I know her time will come again.  Because in fact, in spite of her beauty and grace, Dandelion is indeed strong and hardy.

More on Dandelion’s usefulness in the next post.