Yes, today's photo is a weed, a common weed, known as the dandelion.

The dandelion is a perennial, herbaceous plant with long, lance-shaped leaves.

They're so deeply toothed, they gave the plant its name in Old French: Dent-de-lion means

lion's tooth.

The flower head can change into the familiar, white, globular seed head overnight.

Each seed has a tiny parachute, to travel far and wide in the wind. A strong wind can carry the

parachutes miles away from the parent plant. A dandelion is really many tiny flowers

bunched together. After a dandelion blooms, each of its tiny flowers produces a seed. Each see is attached

to a stem with white fluffy threads.

Most gardeners detest them. The more you try to weed them up, the faster they grow.

The taproot is deep, twisted, and brittle. Unless you remove it completely, it will regenerate. If you break

off more pieces than you unearth, the dandelion wins.

Consider this...  If you were a dandelion and saw a gardener approach with a digger designed

especially to eradicate you, what would you say?

Dandelion one:  "What's a dandelion digger for?"

Dandelion two:  "It’s a human invention to help us reproduce!"

That is how tenacious dandelions are! They are also time honored edible and medicinal plants.

Dandelion greens are tasty in salads, sauteed or steamed. You can also eat the dandelion flowers or

use them to make wine. You can even eat the tap root. The leafy greens are nutritious, high in beta-carotene,

vitamins B, C and D. Dandelion tea helps our bodies metabolize sugar well and helps the kidneys, liver

and gall bladder stay healthy. The use for this common weed is virtually endless.

Note: This information is not intended for personal use. Consult your nutritionist and/or physician for appropriate use.

So, what can we learn from the common dandelion?

Their tenacity teaches us that if we develop our business and business plans with determination we can

establish deep roots which provides us with a solid foundation. This foundation is the bedrock of our

professionalism which includes:  how we treat our clients, how dependable we are, how flexible we are

when confronted with change and our staying power in a challenging market. These abilities will sustain us and

help ensure we are still standing when others fail... just like the dandelions in our garderns and yards!

Copyright 2009 Linda Bourgault, Double D Enterprises and lulugraphix. All rights reserved. Photos taken by Linda Bourgault may not be reproduced without express written permission of Linda Bourgault. Double D Enterprises is a loss mitgation service. lulugraphix is a creative design service for real estate, small to large companies, start-up companies and nonprofits.