Puffballs, blowballs, dandelion clocks, fairy clocks, hairy witches! These are all names for dandelion seed heads, those convex pincushions of over 100 parachute-tipped seeds. Try sprinkling some dandy legends into your imaginative play this summer:
The name dandelion clock comes from the legend that the number of blows needed to remove all the blowball seeds gives the hour. It’s also a tradition to make a wish as you blow, as the fairy clock’s flying seeds become fairies and carry your wishes. Catching a hairy witch is also thought to bring good luck!
Another legend surrounding puffballs was that the tallest dandelion stalk a child could find would show how much taller they will grow in the coming year. What’s the tallest stalk you can find?
What is not legend is the fact that puffballs can go for a swim and come up mostly intact, for the first few times. The parachute-like structure (pappus) attached to each dandelion seed creates a vortex that acts as an air bubble under water. (This vortex helps the seeds travel such long distances on the wind.) Try some dandelion clock dips for yourself! How many dunks until all the seeds come off? Now come up with your own tale, what mythical prediction does that number tell you?
Here are some books to learn more about these legendary seed heads:
