Sun & Moon!

Knocking off two challenges in one and two of my favourite wildflowers, both very useful as the extracts from the Schools' Folklore Collection prove:
Dandelion Caisearbhán
This herb is a great cure for anyone suffering from consumption. Or if one would be run down. The leaves of this plant must be pulled and hung up to dry and save. When the leaves are withered and properly saved, some of them can be put in a saucepan and boiling water poured on them and left to draws like tea. After it being drawing for ten minutes it is taken up and the water strained into a cup and left cool, when it is properly cooled it can be drank. The best dose of it is one cup full before breakfast every morning. 
Also very handy for curing warts: The juice of dandelion if rubbed to warts for nine days will destroy them.


Daisy Nóinín
Daisy chains were made by most little girls by splitting the stalks with the thumbnail and passing the next flower through until the head came to the split, and so on until the fragile was joined to form a crown or necklace.
The name 'Daisy' came from the old name 'Day's Eye' as the flowers opened at dawn and closed at dusk or in dull light. 

Up with the larks again - actually the thrushes, a gentle bimble round the market in Bantry followed by some slightly more vigorous weeding around the beans and peas in the polytunnel which have almost been consumed by common chickweed - another rampant wildflower, which see extras.