Weeds we call them and condemn
But in spring before more flowers form
Our friends the bees emerge hungry
And find these golden blooms
Ever a source of sustenance
To keep them flying until
Those cultivated blooms appear
So, maybe avoid the death spray
Until later in the season?
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Much of humanity lives among natural wonders, though many millions also dwell in ugly, overcrowded, unsanitary slum cities, of course. Some people ignore and others actively dislike natural beauty, even working to destroy the only world we can inhabit.
These daily posts are to encourage joy in nature, respect for the natural world, in hope of inspiring love of a planet that’s a marvel of unlikely coincidences.
We may be alone in the universe as a living species with sentience. But we may never know. Vast distances in time and space mean we’re unlikely to meet, or even effectively connect with, other sentient lifeforms.
So, we must live as if we’re the only life form conscious of existence and able to modify our environment. We can benefit all life forms, or act entirely selfishly in the mistaken and self-destructive belief we’re apart from nature. History, science, and common sense show us daily how intricately we’re part of nature. Is it wise to ignore this simple fact?
If you’d like to spread joy in our wonderful planet and encourage respect and responsibility for it, will you share these posts on social media (‘share’ buttons below make it easy), comment with your thoughts, and help sustain our environment for the future? After all, Earth is our only home. Thank you.
*****…*****
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The small fee will help me maintain and buy the expensive equipment and software quality digital photography needs. Unlike many artists, I loathe the idea of exclusivity and love the idea that many people could easily afford my work to display on their walls. Photography is essentially a reproducible medium and treating it as though it is otherwise strikes me as elitist.
Stuart Aken 
Pingback: #Words and #PictureOfTheDay: 29/Apr/22 | In the Net! – Pictures and Stories of Life
Just lovely – I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many dandelions before. Our field here is covered in buttercups – I need to get a picture of it!
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Ah, the golden buttercups. They grow everywhere, too. Love to see them on the roadside verges, and I allow them to populate the slope at the end of my garden, as they keep other, less attractive, weeds away!
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My mother used to make wine with the flowers and I have eaten the greens (they are cultivated in places here). They taste similar to endive – very nice with Gorgonzola cheese.
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They grow wild here so easily, Lynette, I doubt anyone would ‘cultivate’ them. Foragers collect them as salad ingredients, and wine makers also use the flowers, as they do those of the Elder. I think the leaves have a slight diarrhetic quality, but that may be a rumour!
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They are cultivated to meet food safety standards as in some areas (at home) they are sold at markets. I would say that because of their strong taste, they occupy a specific niche on the culinary spectrum. Cheers.
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Beautiful picture and meaningful words, as usual. Are those flowers rapeseed or dandelion?
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Thank you, Guylene. This is a meadow with wild dandelions among the grass. Rapeseed is planted here in the UK as a crop for animal feed and the oil, but it presents in a different way, with the flowers on tall stems and completely taking over the entire field.
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Thank you! Dandelion can be eaten and it is quite tasty (I mean, the green part, not the flower)
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Yes, I’ve never eaten it, but I know it’s used as a salad ingredient by many people.
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Oh I love this, thank you Stuart. I wish more people would not be so quick to get out all the toxic sprayed the moment spring arrives. Yet in our neighborhood is full of people who do just that. Lovely photograph and beautiful message. You and Valerie have a blessed weekend. ❤️🤗
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Thank you, Joni. There are those who love and understand nature, and those who consider it wild, untidy, and unsightly and only want to tame it, parkify everywhere. I know which side we’re both on!
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