{"id":143144,"date":"2025-04-26T02:47:20","date_gmt":"2025-04-26T07:47:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=143144"},"modified":"2026-03-14T06:58:14","modified_gmt":"2026-03-14T11:58:14","slug":"dandelions-in-spring-light","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2025\/04\/26\/dandelions-in-spring-light\/","title":{"rendered":"Dandelions In Spring Light"},"content":{"rendered":"

While sitting on the deck two days ago photographing birds, my eye wandered to the spring grasses nearby. That\u2019s when I noticed these two dandelion seed heads side by side, one still full of fluff, the other already spent.<\/p>\n

\"Side-by-SideSide-by-Side Dandelions in spring grass \u2013 Canon R7, f8, 1\/800, ISO 1250, +0.3 EV, Canon EF 100-400mm II at 400mm, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

Being an Army brat, I\u2019ve always felt a connection to dandelions. Like them, I\u2019ve been carried by the wind, planted in new places, and bloomed wherever I landed.<\/p>\n

Dandelions are the symbol of Military Brats for good reason. We understand what it means to grow strong no matter where life plants us.<\/p>\n

Seeing these two dandelion<\/span><\/a> seed heads side by side felt personal. One still clinging to its seeds, ready for the next journey, and the other standing bare but proud after already sending its hopes flying into the world.<\/p>\n

Watching the breeze stir the grasses around them, I thought about how fleeting and beautiful these simple things are. A little fluff, a little wind, and suddenly the next generation is on its way. Not a bad way to live, really.<\/p>\n

Rooted by the wind. Bloomed by choice.<\/em><\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/span><\/a> to see more of my flower, shrub, and tree photos.<\/p>\n

May be Taraxacum officinale ceratophorum<\/em>, might not be.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

That\u2019s when I noticed these two dandelion seed heads side by side, one still full of fluff, the other already spent.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":143141,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[13950,13951,5347],"tags":[9811,11806,3818,6519,5504,13931,16420,5340,6456,165,15824,16419,13966],"class_list":["post-143144","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arkansas","category-sebastian-county","category-wildflowers","tag-army-brat","tag-common-dandelion","tag-dandelion","tag-dandelions","tag-fluff","tag-garden","tag-military-brat","tag-seed-head","tag-side-by-side","tag-spring","tag-suburban","tag-taraxacum-officinale-ceratophorum","tag-yard"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/04\/dandelion-fluff-mia-mcpherson-8142.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-BeM","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":113706,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2023\/06\/08\/im-a-dandelion\/","url_meta":{"origin":143144,"position":0},"title":"I’m A Dandelion","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 8, 2023","format":false,"excerpt":"Because I was and always will be a Military or Army Brat, I will always identify myself as a Dandelion. I bloom wherever I set down roots.","rel":"","context":"In "Virginia"","block_context":{"text":"Virginia","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/virginia\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Dandelion gone to seed, Virginia","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230605_104416.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230605_104416.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230605_104416.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230605_104416.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/06\/20230605_104416.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x, 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Montana","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"June 11, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Two years ago today I was in Beaverhead County, Montana photographing Cassin's Finches foraging on the seeds of dandelions on a morning that had sunshine and plenty of fog.","rel":"","context":"In "Beaverhead County"","block_context":{"text":"Beaverhead County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/montana\/beaverhead-county-montana\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Male Cassin's Finch foraging for Dandelion seeds, Centennial Valley, Beaverhead County, Montana","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cassins-finch-dandelions-mia-mcpherson-0126.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/cassins-finch-dandelions-mia-mcpherson-0126.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, 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The photo of me taking this image is by my dear friend, Steve Creek.","rel":"","context":"In "Arkansas"","block_context":{"text":"Arkansas","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/arkansas\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Cicada shell on a pine tree, Sebastian County, Arkansas","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cicada-exuvia-shell-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-2449.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cicada-exuvia-shell-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-2449.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cicada-exuvia-shell-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-2449.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/08\/cicada-exuvia-shell-arkansas-mia-mcpherson-2449.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":40724,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2016\/07\/30\/yellow-salsify-seed-head-in-the-targhee-national-forest\/","url_meta":{"origin":143144,"position":5},"title":"Yellow Salsify Seed Head in the Targhee National Forest","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"July 30, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"The scientific name is Tragopogon dubius but this forb has many common names including Yellow Salsify, Yellow Goatsbeard, Western Salsify, Wild Oysterplant and my favorite Western Goatsbeard.","rel":"","context":"In "Clark County"","block_context":{"text":"Clark County","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/idaho\/clark-county\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Yellow Salsify seed head, Targhee National Forest, Clark County, Idaho","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-salsify-mia-mcpherson-2728.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-salsify-mia-mcpherson-2728.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-salsify-mia-mcpherson-2728.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/yellow-salsify-mia-mcpherson-2728.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143144","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=143144"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/143144\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/143141"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=143144"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=143144"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=143144"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}