Dandelions, Yesinia pestis, and the joys of spring, oh my!

The common dandelion, or Taraxacum officinale, because science insists that even weeds be given goofy Latin names, is a flowering plant that is, unfortunately, categorized as perennial. Its yellow flower and eventual puffball of seeds are hard to mistake and the plants have become quite pervasive across North America and Europe. Native to the Eurasian continent, it is believed that the dandelion was first introduced to North America by early European settlers in the mid-1600s, who brought the plants over as a source of food and medicine.

While there are certainly some who still utilize the dandelion for similar purposes to those early European settlers, the more common perception of them nowadays is less rosy. They are often seen as a weed, growing unwanted in lawns and gardens across the globe, though they seem to have taken a liking to my property in particular.

I’ve never really given dandelions much thought. They were always just…there, I suppose. The most I really paid attention to them was when pulling the odd one out of a vegetable garden or making a wish before blowing the seeds off a puffball when I was younger. But now… now I recognize their silent machinations, their quiet plans to overwhelm and take over every bit of green space available.

For about maybe one afternoon over the weekend, I was able to generally enjoy and admire my newly cut lawn, free from the yellow flowers propped on rubbery stalks. But I turned my back for but a moment and they had returned, perhaps in greater numbers, a second wave bent on undoing my hours pushing around the lawn mower. I eyed them indignantly from my deck as they swayed in the warm, summer-esque breeze on Sunday, mocking me with their seemingly carefree attitude.

And so the first of what will likely be many battles concluded. Had I won, or lost? It was hard to tell; I only knew many more lay on the horizon.

So thanks for that, Pilgrims. I really hope the oh-so-tasty dandelion salad or whatever compelled you to bring these things here was worth it. The pneumonic plague, caused by the bacteria Yersinia pestis, because science insists that even microscopic deadly bacteria be given goofy Latin names, is one of three forms of plague, specifically infecting the lungs. It is a fairly infectious disease that, if left untreated, will likely prove to be deadly. It is thought that it and the other two forms of plague were largely responsible for the major outbreak of sickness in Europe in the 1300s known as the Black Death. And while I do not have the pneumonic plague (at least, I’m pretty sure I don’t), anyone that has been around me for the past few weeks has likely wondered if I had somehow contracted it. Allergies are never very fun, and this particular one cropped up sometime in high school. It manifests as just a tickle in the back of my throat in the fall or spring and while it doesn’t do much of anything to me other than cause a slight annoyance, I’m sure it sounds like I’m on the brink of keeling over. The reason I’ve come to this conclusion is because… well, numerous people have asked me if I’m okay at work, indicating to me that the cough sounds much worse than I actually feel. Great detective work, I know. So, just to clear the air and let everyone know, I am not currently dying, or at least not any more than normal. I’m just terrible at taking any sort of medication for it, despite my wife’s near constant reminders to do so.

Ah, what’s not to like about spring? Dandelions? Allergies? The Bucks losing in the first round of the NBA playoffs? Every year, spring brings with it these joys, and it’s all so much fun! But as enjoyable as all these things are, summer could not come sooner in my opinion.

A C ertain Point of V iew