As a child, my dad often reprimanded me for not paying attention to where I was going while walking–I was too busy looking at the ground. I still have this habit, and while I occasionally almost bump into things, it helps me notice the little things, like this dandelion.
I took this photo in rural Vermont during a June sunset. This photo makes me feel hopeful and optimistic, as the dandelion is “ready” to be blown out and wished upon. It makes me think of the future possibilities in a positive light. I hope it makes you feel optimistic and hopeful too!
The dandelion is ubiquitous and often labeled as a weed, but it really is an amazing little plant.
The dandelion is entirely edible, and has more dietary fiber, proteins, and amino acids than lettuce or spinach.
It also has a long history of being used in folk medicine, and now, there’s more and more science that confirms its health properties.
It’s anti-inflammatory, and has helped inflammation due to pancreatitis in rats and inflammation due to lung injury in mice. And it can help people, too–in a study referenced in a paper published by the International Life Sciences Institute, 24 adults with chronic colitis were given treatment involving dandelions. This treatment helped alleviate the symptoms for 23 of them.
Not only is it anti-inflammatory, but dandelion extract could also help with the flu! Wen He, et al. infected cells with the flu in the lab, and then treated some of them with liquid dandelion extract. They found that the amount of virus in the cell cultures decreased when treated with the extract (the amount of the decrease depended on the amount of extract used). Note that this was only tested on cell cultures in a lab–not in human subjects in real life. Vaccines are still the best way to protect yourself from the flu.
Despite the name of the photo (“Summer Wish”), I did not use the dandelion to wish for anything. I left it entirely alone–I take only photos and try to leave no trace.
Sources/Further Reading:
Diverse Biological Activities of Dandelion
Anti-influenza Virus Effect of Aqueous Extracts from Dandelion
MAC and Brie Make 
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