Well made!

We were travelling along a straight road, approaching a stretch where the verges were glorious with a magnificence of bright yellow flowers. What species of flora could possibly present such beauty? Well, now, they were dandelions! Prolific, common, wild dandelions!

The name, dandelion, is an English corruption of the French name, ”dent-de-lion” which refers to the tooth-like serrations on the edge of the leaves. Its scientific name is Taraxacum Officianale- derived from a Persian word, and recognised by Persian pharmacists around 900 A.D. Officianale derives from the Latin word for office or pharmacy.

The humble dandelion is recognised for a number of medicinal properties! It may help fight infection, may aid blood sugar control, may reduce cholesterol, may lower blood pressure, may promote a healthy liver and may aid weight loss. It is a diuretic, which gives it another name in French. Piss en lit, in English, wet the bed!! And it is also an excellent food-an excellent source of vitamins and mInerals. In a salad, dandelions contribute about 40 times the vitamin A found in lettuce.

But with this excellent background, the very ordinary dandelion reached amazing heights when a national newspaper, October 2018, produced this information. The headline proclaims “Dandelions hold seed of a new revolution in flight”.

Drones could be designed to mimic the seed’s use of a bubble of air that allows them to travel 500 miles!! Dr. Cathal Cummins, who led the research into the dandelion’s amazing construction said, “Taking a closer look at the ingenious structures of nature, like the dandelion, can reveal novel insights. The soft bristles work together to create a ring-shaped bubble of air that keeps the seed aloft."

Surely somewhere there is a great Designer?

Indeed there is! We call Him “Our Father which art in Heaven.” A single plant can produce 12,000 seeds! Which fact is an encouragement to our faith. When we consider the statement made by Jesus, ”Even the very hairs of your head are numbered”. If God can give so much thought to the construction of a dandelion, how can we doubt His care for you and me?