BUTTER CUP FLOWER

BUTTER CUP FLOWER

The cheery buttercup grows wild throughout much of North American and blankets fields and roadsides with sunny yellow blooms in mid-summer. It is often found growing alongside daisies and is a favorite among children. Holding the buttercup beneath the chin and observing the reflection of gold is thought to determine how well you like butter.

The buttercup flower is more than a kid’s flower and has symbolism of its own. Under normal circumstances, the buttercup means:

The buttercup belongs to the genus Ranunculus L. and includes at least 93 species or subspecies. While buttercups range in size and height they are all yellow or gold flowers with green centers. There are many legends explaining how the buttercup got both its scientific and common name.

• Legend of Ranunculus: According to this ancient legend, a Libyan youth named Ranunculus was known for his beautiful singing voice and stunning attire of yellow and green silk. His voice had the power to entrance any who heard him sing. One day when singing to a group of wood nymphs, he became so entranced by his own voice that the collapsed and gave up the ghost. To honor the fallen youth, Orpheus transformed him into the tiny buttercup that has been known as Ranunculus ever since.
• Cow’s Milk: This legend claims the buttercup earned its name from the quality of milk it produced in cows. Supposedly, cows that grazed on buttercups produced the sweetest and most flavorful milk rich in cream. Farmers soon began referring to this lovely yellow flower as a buttercup. This isn’t true, of course, because buttercups are toxic to cows, but that doesn’t stop some people from believing it.
• The Miser and the Fairies: According to another legend, fairies are responsible for buttercups. When a group of fairies saw an old miser crossing a field with a sack of gold, they stopped him to ask for alms. Not wanting to share his gold, the old miser refused and continued on his way. However, the clever fairies cut a hole in his sack with a blade of grass before he continued on his way. As the he crossed the field, his coins dropped from the bag and were scattered among the grass. Buttercups sprang forth wherever the coins touched the earth.
• The Miser and the Fairies: According to another legend, fairies are responsible for buttercups. When a group of fairies saw an old miser crossing a field with a sack of gold, they stopped him to ask for alms. Not wanting to share his gold, the old miser refused and continued on his way. However, the clever fairies cut a hole in his sack with a blade of grass before he continued on his way. As the he crossed the field, his coins dropped from the bag and were scattered among the grass. Buttercups sprang forth wherever the coins touched the earth
• The Miser and the Fairies: According to another legend, fairies are responsible for buttercups. When a group of fairies saw an old miser crossing a field with a sack of gold, they stopped him to ask for alms. Not wanting to share his gold, the old miser refused and continued on his way. However, the clever fairies cut a hole in his sack with a blade of grass before he continued on his way. As the he crossed the field, his coins dropped from the bag and were scattered among the grass. Buttercups sprang forth wherever the coins touched the earth.
• The Miser and the Fairies: According to another legend, fairies are responsible for buttercups. When a group of fairies saw an old miser crossing a field with a sack of gold, they stopped him to ask for alms. Not wanting to share his gold, the old miser refused and continued on his way. However, the clever fairies cut a hole in his sack with a blade of grass before he continued on his way. As the he crossed the field, his coins dropped from the bag and were scattered among the grass. Buttercups sprang forth wherever the coins touched the earth.
• The Miser and the Fairies: According to another legend, fairies are responsible for buttercups. When a group of fairies saw an old miser crossing a field with a sack of gold, they stopped him to ask for alms. Not wanting to share his gold, the old miser refused and continued on his way. However, the clever fairies cut a hole in his sack with a blade of grass before he continued on his way. As the he crossed the field, his coins dropped from the bag and were scattered among the grass. Buttercups sprang forth wherever the coins touched the earth.
• • The Coyote: One day when coyote was tossing his eyes in the air and catching them again, an eagle swooped down and stole his eyes. Poor coyote did not know what to do and fashioned new eyes from the dainty buttercup. To this day, the buttercup flower is referred to a coyote’s eyes in many areas of the U.S.