Have you ever wondered about the meaning of certain flowers, what they can do for us and for our wildlife? Today I'm talking about the daisy. It's a very useful flower, one of the first to appear as the winter months fade on un-mowed lawns and on the grass banks of motorways. The spaces where we find the daisy are usually considered untidy or marked as wasteland, but these spots are in fact a haven for our wildlife and should be protected.

The symbolic meaning of flowers has long been recognised, be it through art, medicine, folklore or mythology. Whether you are picking out flowers for a wedding bouquet or just for yourself at home, there’s a symbol or tale behind each one.

For me it’s the story of the daisy, I love them so much that my wedding bouquet was made from just daisies. I’m charmed by the simplicity of them, that bright yellow disc surrounded by white petals, easy to draw as a child and perfect for making daisy chains to put in your hair.

For centuries artists from all walks of life have used flowers, with their beautiful petaled-faces and green, leafy stems as a subject to draw and paint. Of course each artist brings their own style when depicting flowers; some are detailed and pained-over botanical engravings and others are formed with wild, painterly splodges of oil or crafted with found materials. It’s no wonder that people, including myself, continue to use flowers as a source of inspiration today.

People love to understand the power of plants, how they can heal us and what they represent. It’s nice to know that April’s flower is actually the daisy, because it’s my birth flower and, did I mention, I love daisies? All types of them! The Asteraceae family is a big one with 23,500 different species, so I have a lot of daisies to chose from. But I’m very fond of those that pop up on uncut verges by the side of the road and lawns that have been left to do their own thing.

So, inspired by this delightful little plant I made two images, the one at the very top with the Buff-tailed bumblebee and this one here with the Orange Tip butterfly, which I think might make a pretty fabric? 

The name daisy is derived from ‘day’s eye’ and is so called because the flower closes at night and opens in the morning when the sun rises. This is also where the phrase ‘fresh as a daisy’ comes from.

‘Bellis Perennis’ is the proper name, and it is a vital source of nectar and pollen for the first bees and early flying butterflies, especially the Orange Tip. This is why it’s so important to leave a patch of un-cut grass in your garden or if you have the space and privilege to do so, plant a wild flower garden. Habitat loss is the number one culprit for the decline of insect populations worldwide.

If you haven’t already heard of them them you should take a look at the campaigns run by the environmental project, Little Green Space, they are really vocal about councils over spraying pesticides and the cutting back wild flowers unnecessarily. I follow them on Instagram and Twitter.

Anyway, it’s time to put the kettle on, but first of all, I’d love to know, what is your favourite flower and why? And also, will you be leaving a patch of daisies for the bees? Please leave me a comment in the box. I can’t wait to know your answers and to learn which flowers make you happy.

Have a lovely rest of the week.

Jill

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