Dandelion Heads
Watercolour on BFK Rivers printmaking paper
14 x 11 cm (5.51 x 4.33 in)
Three stages of the same flower share the same moment.
Bud, bloom, and seed appear together, as though time has folded back on itself.
Nothing has yet vanished.
Nothing remains unchanged.
Wishing upon a dandelion:
The most common association is with making wishes. When the dandelion reaches its seed-dispersing stage (the "puffball"), people blow on it, sending the seeds into the wind, and often make a wish at the same time.
Love and Affection:
Some folklore suggests that if you can blow all the seeds off a dandelion with a single breath, the person you love will love you back, while remaining seeds might indicate reservations.
Time-telling:
Some believed that the number of puffs needed to clear all the seeds from a dandelion seed head could tell you the time of day.
Dandelions as Fairy Clocks
Dandelions were called "fairy clocks" because their flowers open and close predictably.
Whispering to the wind:
Others believed that whispering thoughts about a loved one to the seed head, then blowing the seeds away, would carry your message to that person.
Wiccan Beliefs:
In Wiccan traditions, dandelions were believed to ward off freezing winds when placed in the northeast corner of a house.
"Hairy witches":
The fluffy seeds were called "hairy witches," and catching one was thought to bring good luck.
Specimen Log: Dandelion Heads
Observed:
3 × Taraxacum officinale
Condition:
bud opening, bloom collapsing, seed formation
Location:
shared stem cluster
Notes:
Multiple stages of development present simultaneously.
The plant holds bloom and dispersal within the same moment.
What appears sequential from a distance is immediate when observed closely.