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| buttercup and chamomile, Oh! the beautiful flowers Coming before spring To talk about sunny hours. Mary Howitt. |
Does your grandmother sing you that song? “Buttercups and chamomiles, oh! Beautiful flowers…” my father sang when I was a little girl. He learned it from his grandmother. For many years our people have been singing it to their children. We sang it because they know children love these flowers. They are such friendly flowers. They are always ready to tell the children what is good for them.
Put a ranunculus under your chin to see if you like the butter. If a bright yellow light shines on your skin, that means you do, like butter… Put it back under your friend’s chin. His complexion would also glow with a yellow light. If you try it under the chin of your other playmates, I think you’ll find they all love butter.
Mrs. Buttercup doesn’t just make the inside of a cup shiny to help kids know what they like. Later! She makes it bright so she can get help with her life’s work.
Its job is to make good seeds. She knows she can make the best seeds if she has some insects to help her. She is willing to pay handsomely for the help. She wears a beautiful dress that catches the eye of the assistant. She makes a dish of honey to appease her tongue. Make honey fragrant to please his nose.
Take the stalk of the buttercup in your hand. Look at the open flower. The beautiful colored part we call the corolla or crown. Each part of the corolla is called a petal. Count the number of petals in the shiny crown of buttercup. Are there the same number of petals in the next ranunculus?
Now look at the bud. Look at the green he’s wearing. We call this a cup or cup. He carries the corolla. See how the calyx is covered with fine hairs. Mrs. Buttercup puts it on to keep the baby flowers warm. She is as careful of her children as your mother is to your little brother or sister. Your mom puts warm clothes on your family’s baby when he’s out in the cold. is not it?
As the bud grows, the sepals open into five parts. We call each of these parts of the cup a “sepal”. Is sepal hairy inside? Does your mom put a mystery cloth on her baby’s skin?
See how the balls curve backwards when opened. See how closely the petals are wrapped around each other. You see that the outer surface of the petal does not shine. It is pale yellow.
Now look back at your open Buttercup. It appears inside the petal. Mrs. Buttercup polished the interior of the Corolla. When buttercups open in a field, the sun shines directly into their cups. The polished interior casts bright sunlight. You know your polished school desk casts a brighter light than a dull floor.
This bright golden light flashes in the eyes of some foraging insects.
“Gone! Gone! Gone!” It chuckles. “That means good food. I’ll go get it.”
Soon you get off on Buttercup.
“good good good!” , he muttered with conviction.
“What a sweet scent. I have to get to that scent.”
Look at the petal of the buttercup. See all the little fine lines leading to the center. These are called “honey trails.” See where it ends.
Look at that heavy little plate that sits right on the bottom of the petal. This is full of honey. Sometimes it is so full that it overflows. This is the honey that makes the buttercup smell so sweet.
Mrs. Pugh lights up the edge of a petal. Find the “honey way”. You walk down. Soon she is on the edge of the honey dish, eating quickly. Oh, aren’t you glad she came? I just wish you’d join her at her party.
Look at your buttercup again. Inside the corolla, you see many stems standing up, each with a small box at the top. These stems we call “stamens” the little boxes we call “anthers”.
Each anther is filled with a golden powder called “pollen”.
While Mrs. Bug moves the lower part of the petals, sucking honey, she touches the stamens with her body. Then the anthers open and pollen grains fall on them. You can try it yourself. Take a pin and push the lower parts of the stamens into a fully grown buttercup. The anthers will open and pollen will fall out. You can play as a little bug until you see how the buttercup works.
Daisies and Buttercup Pre-Primary Song
And words celebrate life!
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