"A dandelion gone to seed, a complete globe, a system in itself." Thanks to Greg for the quote from Thoreau's Journal May 9, 1858. It would seem this beetle has found an adequate globe, or at least a convincing forest in a yellow nova of petals. (Click on the photo twice to see tree trunks)
Saturday, May 13, 2006
Thoreau's Dandelion
"A dandelion gone to seed, a complete globe, a system in itself." Thanks to Greg for the quote from Thoreau's Journal May 9, 1858. It would seem this beetle has found an adequate globe, or at least a convincing forest in a yellow nova of petals. (Click on the photo twice to see tree trunks)
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4 comments:
I'm partial to that brilliant yellow - it is such a happy welcome in the grass along our fence in the early spring.
I was just talking about Dandelions the other day -- thinking about how MANY dandelions I've seen in my life. Roughly half bright yellow, and half turned gray and whispy... why do we never see them transition? It must happen in about a minute?
Yes, Bonita - I love them and have to fight unhappiness when I watch my husband and neighbors putting down the chemicals to thwart their bloom.
Ah, Casey - another question :0) A good one. I don't know about the speed of this transition. Years ago I read a piece that said they'd adapted to lawn mowers by lying longitudianlly against the ground at temperatures and moisture conditions when people generally mow and this adaptation gives the seedheads time to mature. Then they stand upright again when propitious weather advances on a breezy day.
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