Nóinín
Latin name: Bellis perennis
Daisies are very common flowers that thrive on roadsides, grasslands and gardens all year round. They really are one of nature’s prettiest flowers, although some people regard them as a nuisance as they tend to pop up everywhere in the garden and can quickly take over closely cut lawns.
Daisies growing in a field
The centre of the daisy is a deep buttery-yellow colour, from which grow long, delicate, oval shaped petals. These white petals sometimes have a hint of pink at the edges or underneath. The flower looks just like a tiny sun surrounded by a halo of white shining rays.
The spoon-shaped leaves of a daisy are quite tough, and grow right in against the stem in a circle near to the ground, so that nothing else can grow beneath it and take away its nutrients. As the daisy grows early in the year, it is very beneficial to small insects as it offers an early supply of pollen and nectar.
The daisy closes its petals in the evening
The daisy closes its petals in the evening
The daisy closes its petals in the evening
Do you know how this flower came to be called a ‘daisy’?
The origin of the name lies in the Old English words ‘daeg’ (day) and ‘eage’ (eye), which become ‘daegeseage’ when joined. This means ‘day’s eye’, an appropriate name as the flower unfolds its petals at dawn, and closes them again at dusk, just like the blink of an eye.
Have you ever made a daisy chain? Spilt stalk with your nail, slip the next flower through until the head met the split and so on until you have enough flowers linked together to make a crown or necklace.