Just the other day the CEO and the VP of Research returned from a morning jaunt in the hinterlands behind Stately Willard Manor. I asked the CEO how the VP was that day, and she replied “He’s fresh as a daisy.”

It’s an old saying so I knew just what she meant.

Daisies are different from many flowers in that they perform a daily routine similar to people. They “sleep at night” by closing and “wake in the  morning” by opening up again.

This unusual trait coupled with its whorled appearance earned it the Old English name, “daeges eage,” meaning literally “day’s eye.” The ray-like appearance of the flower that opens and closes with the sun’s rhythms reminded the English of a thousand years ago of an eye.

English poet John Layden recognized this human quality of the flower in his 1803 verse, “When evening brings the merry folding hours, And sun-eyed daisies close their winking flowers.”

With this as a cue, Capt. Frederick Marryat first used “Fresh as a daisy” in his 1833 work, “Peter Simple.” He may not have been the first to use the analogy, but his usage is the first recorded.

The daisy received its scientific name, “Bellis, from a Roman legend.

Belides was a dryad pursued by Vortumnus, god of the orchards, after she was observed by him dancing in the fields. Belides was not excited by his attention so she changed into the little flower then called “bellis” by the Romans.

It’s a nice myth and does explain the scientific name, “Bellis perennis,” in allusion to its appearance.

In the morning, daisies are fresh and could lead one to describe a lively, bouncing little white dog in that way.

In a related vein, another plant/flower named for its resemblance to an anatomical feature is the dandelion.  From the Middle French, “dent de lion,” it means literally “lion’s tooth.” The jagged-tooth leaves surrounding its striking yellow head might once have created the image of a golden-maned lion stretching in the sunlight (or maybe not, depending how much French wine you drank).

  • Plato, one of Socrates’ students, noted a timeless truth some 24 centuries ago, “He who is of a calm and happy nature will hardly feel the pressure of age, but to him who is of an opposite disposition, youth and age are equally a burden.” Of course, he did say it in Greek.
  • Time yourself to determine if you’re in the group. One of every seven American adults spends more than 30 minutes a day in the bathroom.
  • Wouldn’t you know the male would get the nights out. Pigeons, in mating for life, share parenting duties. Dad sits on the eggs during the day and mom takes over at night.
  • Ever hear someone say “She’s got a lot of nerve”? Then she probably has more than 46 miles worth. That’s how many miles of nerves the average adult has.