This week is Grasses Week in Exploring Nature With Children. We set out nice and early with a mind to explore our local grasses. However we found heaps of Dandelions! We both adore Dandelions, and wanted to sketch them instead.
Look at this beauty!
We found a smashing website that has amazing, magnified photography of Dandelions. Do take a look.
(Images from http://www.microscopy-uk.org.uk taken by Brian Johnston)
We sketched in our journals; Rose included a near-by seed head, as well as a flower and leaf.
I sketched the flower and leaf, then added some notes and poetry. Did you know that Dandelions get their name from the French, ‘dent de lion’ (lion’s tooth?)
The Dandelion’s pallid tube
Astonishes the Grass,
And Winter instantly becomes
An infinite Alas-
The tube uplifts a signal Bud
And then a shouting Flower,-
The Proclamation of the Suns
That sepulture is o’er.
Emily Dickinson
What did you find on your walk this week?
Happy exploring!
This is lovely! It caught my eye because I just added a dandelion page to my own journal the other day! Your watercolor is beautiful.Here’s the poem I included:
Dandy is the yellow carpet
Of the lion’s mane
Sunning himself among his pride
Across the mountain range
Sleeping under stars
Heads tucked under leaves
Emerging in the morning mist
Yawns worthy of the lion’s teeth
Silently roaring, stretching, reaching
Languidly lolling across their beds
Reaching for the rays of sun
To warm their golden heads
Lying on the once green field
Happy, noble, true and lazy
Dandy is the delight you feel
Among this wild daisy
Wow, Lisa!
What a beautiful poem!
Thank you for sharing.
Hi Lynn
We’ve got a little behind this week, please forgive the slow response. We have taken our nature walk and we deliberately went through a field which is old pasture, unfortunately it has been heavily grazed this winter and is only just making a recovery so no grasses are yet flowering. Although I am supposed to be able to identify grasses which are not in flower, I fear my uni lecturer would be feeling rather let down. We did find a meadow foxtail on our way home, my daughter (5) was able to make a positive ID from our book, more quickly than me!
It was rather wild and windy when we went out so the children had great fun copying the soaring rooks using coats as wings 🙂 Our tree still hasn’t woken up yet but we do keep checking on him and making a note.
They are fabulous close ups of the dandelion, I can see why the bees love them, all that pollen.
Beautiful poetry, something seemingly so commonplace inspiring such creativity is wonderful.
Best wishes
Jenny
Well done to your daughter! It must be in her blood 🙂
I love that your children played at being rooks. Love their imagination!
The photos are amazing, aren’t they, quite thrilling.
I keep meaning to ask, by the way; did you manage to get your crochet jumper finished?
Lynn
Thanks Lynn
Yes, the jumper is finished and the bear is very happy with it, I was very pleased with myself as I have never tried crochet cable before, it has always held a terror for me but with a small project it was less daunting.
Best wishes
Jenny
Wonderful Jenny!