Olha doesn’t often repeat designs but she did for this one, with a new one listed for the first time since I bought mine three years ago. On a similar theme, this one.
Trader Joe’s again. A man of Slavic appearance saw my gerdan and caught my eye, his whole countenance suddenly just radiant–he knew exactly where that had come from. Slava Ukraini!
I knew what it meant to me but I wondered what further symbolism it might convey, so I went home and searched on cornflowers. I didn’t know why the artist had beaded them to be intertwining with wheat, but as I read on it all came together.
It is native to that part of Europe. As a cut flower, it has been cultivated pretty much everywhere, but traditionally it grew among wheat and barley crops–as in this Van Gogh painting–where it is considered a problem that reduces yield. Thus it is seriously endangered in most of its native habitat.
And yet they are planted. And yet they grow. And yet they bloom and thrive and are celebrated in gardens even as they’ve become rare in fields of grain.
Per Wikipedia they are dependent on bees, so their nectar is particularly high in sugar. But also: their volatiles attract a major insect predator of the major pest of cabbage plants, to the point of some farmers of brassicas foregoing pesticides–just plant the pretty flowers instead. Support the goldfinches, which love the seeds.
And now I know why someone else’s gerdan (where was that) had those goldfinches….