#2514 "Spring Singleton Dandies"

We encourage dandelions (taraxacum officinale) at Singleton. Well, we certainly do not discourage them. These little flowers certainly do not require any help to get around. Someone counted an average of 15 thousand seeds being produced by a single dandelion plant. There are usually 150-200 seeds per flower and up to 10 flowers per plant. The airborne parachutes of dandelion seeds can and do go for many miles. Dandelions are likely the most successful plants that exist. They are masters of survival worldwide and have spread from their humble European origins to every continent and from the Arctic to the tropics. If you mow dandelions, they adapt by growing on shorter stalks. We try to work with nature at Singleton and these yellow flowers provide the first spring sustenance to many creatures. 

Dandelions were well known to ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans. The Chinese have used dandelions in traditional medicine for over a thousand years. Every part of the dandelion is useful: root, leaves, flower. It can be used for food, medicine and dye for coloring. Dandelion can be used in the production of wine and root beer. The root of dandelion can be used as a substitute for coffee. Dandelion is used in folk medicine to treat infections and liver disorders. Tea made of dandelion act as diuretic. Apparently they make a great salad as well. 

I set up my easel just outside the garage door looking easterly at 10 am on Friday May 21st, 2021. Some unknown yellow flowers did a "painting bomb" of my plein air effort. I paint what I see. I checked that I was using the phrase correctly. Apparently "photobomb" can be either a verb or a noun. The verb is described as to "spoil a photograph by unexpectedly appearing in the camera's field of view as the picture is taken, typically as a prank or practical joke." I do not get out much. The smaller yellow flowers where in my field of view and I liked how they added a burst of colour contrast to the green. The yellow flower was the common bird's foot trefoil. 

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