Buttercups and Other Rejects

"What's in a name? That which we call a rose
By any other word would smell as sweet."

William Shakespeare

Interesting it is that some see the word buttercup in relation to their garden and reach for the herbicide, while others reach for the camera. Perhaps we are too enamored of things difficult to grow and desire only the difficult to maintain. Like the elusive love that tantalizes but evades our entreaties , we want in our gardens those plants that will object to capture there, all the while blind to the beauty of those species that volunteer without needing our labor and assistance.

The point can be made all the more energetically about the dandelion. Though of beautiful color and intricate pattern, it is scorned by many. Indeed, the gardening conglomerates make millions by advocating its eradication, and haplessly ignorant homeowners poison their properties to eliminate its beauty and utility as a food for both humans and wildlife. It attracts, in its flowering stage, bees and butterflies, and in its seed stage, goldfinch and children. When allowed to prosper, the resulting sea of yellow and green is an aesthetic delight.

It appears man wants the rare and difficult to maintain, even when the easy offers manifold delights. Ah, man is a giddy, giddy thing!