Seeds of Truth

Dandelions have a long history in folklore symbolising time, resilience, love, and wishes. Typically associated with its appearance and uses, the plant has many names including milk-witch, fairy-clock, piss-a-bed, wet-the-bed, puffball, cankerworm, lion’s tooth, make-a-wish, swine’s snout.  

The best-known folklore traditions involve blowing the seeds and making a wish - if all the seeds blow away in one breath the wish will come true. A ‘fairy-clock’ establishes the hour by the number of breaths taken to dislodge all the seeds, similarly, blowing a seedhead tells a person if someone loves them, while the number of seeds blown-away represents the years before a person would get married.  

Traditionally, dandelions were considered magical properties, placed in the home to keep evil spirits away. They were also used to cure skin and digestive ailments. As is often the case, there is truth in folklore, dandelions are a natural diuretic, promoting increased urination which helps with water-retention and bloating; the white sap is antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory so is used topically to treat skin complaints. 

Dandelions are symbols of strength and resilience due to their ability to grow in harsh conditions, their ability to spread seeds far and wide is a metaphor for persistence. Dandelions are also linked to the transition from winter to spring, the vibrant yellow blooms herald the arrival of warmer weather, making it a symbol of renewal, hope, and growth. The flowers also provide an important food source for early pollinators. 

Anthropocentrism approaches to managing land often cause detrimental impacts by overlooking the importance of plants (including dandelions) which are considered weeds. Folklore helps highlight that dandelions are much more than a nuisance plant, across many cultures they are a focus for storytelling, and have many beneficial uses.  

Materials used in artwork: Dandelion ‘paper’ made from petals and seedheads; woven stems.