#2782 "Saturday Sunrise Daisies"

#2782 "Saturday Sunrise Daisies"
7x5 inches oils on canvas panel

I try to paint a daisy every year but I did not know enough about them until now. The reference books tell me that Leucanthemum vulgare, the ox-eye daisy or oxeye daisy is a widespread flowering plant native to Europe and the temperate regions of Asia and an introduced plant to North America, Australia and New Zealand. It is one of a number of family Asteraceae plants to be called a "daisy", and has the additional vernacular names common daisy, dog daisy and moon daisy. Who knew? 

There is a song that I think of whenever I paint daisies... It makes me very sentimental. Jud Strunk's most popular song was "Daisy a Day", which Strunk wrote and recorded in 1973. It is a gentle, sentimental ballad in 3/4 time, describing the relationship between a boy and girl that ultimately grow old together. For every day of their lives, he gives her a daisy as a sign of their love. In the last verse, she has died, but her widower husband continues to make daily visits to her grave. The song made the Billboard Top 20 on both the country and pop music charts. On 5 October 1981, Jud suffered a heart attack while taking off in the aircraft at Carrabassett Valley Airport in Maine and was killed instantly along with his passenger. He was 45 years old.

Leucanthemum vulgare became an introduced species via gardens into natural areas in parts of Canada, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand, where it is now a common weed. In some habitats, it is an invasive species forming dense colonies displacing native plants and modifying existing communities and is classified as a noxious weed. It is difficult to control or eradicate, since a new plant can regenerate from rhizome fragments and is a problem in pastures where beef and dairy cattle graze, as usually they will not eat it, thus enabling it to spread. Ox-eye daisy is a host for several viral diseases affecting crops.

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Warmest regards and keep your paddle in the water,

Phil Chadwick