Ode to the Weed

I’ve taken xeriscaping to the next level: zeroscaping! The practice is due partly to my finding lawn work only mildly preferable to being staked out in the desert and consumed by ants, and partly to my rebellion against The Man determining that grass is a more suitable ground cover than, say, dandelions.

In my view, the dandelion has a great deal to offer. Dandelion clocks—what a delicious name!—look like bubbles on stems. Pick one, blow on it, and send its downy parachutes riding the wind. Dandelion flowers, their color warmer than sunshine, homier than butter, bounce on their stems, smiling up at us. What welcoming flowers! And, if they can escape being “pesticided,” the leaves are edible. And we need never sod, because hearty dandelions find a home wherever they land: in cement cracks, in arid soil, even riding in the beds of trucks! In all seasons, in all landscapes, the dandelion offers herself for our delight.

In May, let’s delight in what we find delightful. Take pleasure in what is. Maybe to blow on some dandelion clocks and watch with wonder as their tiny parachutes ride the wind. What delights you?