TJ – where do you stand on brambling or picking elderflower for cordial or wine? That is something I not only do but encourage my kids to do. If everyone did it there would be a shortage – but they don’t so there isn’t. I’m not sure “harvesting” cut flowers is actually that different.

I remember when I was about 9 a group of children at my school went on the rampage in the dafodils kicking them down with their feet – bascially pure vandalism. That would be wrong, but cutting them and putting them inside, perhaps in a place where more people (school, church, old folks home, etc) will actually see and enjoy them. Since it was armfuls this sounds possible – unless of course they were going to flog them.

Do you think the “woman” in the original story has gone home raging tonight and posting on the internet? I doubt it. So you have lost by letting it get to you. She probably identified that you were a little ‘unusual’ from your choice of bike… …people don’t like “weirdos” talking to their kids so I can almost understand her attitude.

Do you not believe in “live and let live”?

i really struggle with that phrase – does it mean “readily accept what people do without regard to consequence to others”?

in this case the consequence isn’t a big deal but it seems a bit sad when we simply accept the destruction of something beautiful, that could be shared, because one group of people don’t have any appreciation that others might like to enjoy it

The children of today, picking daffodils will be foresters of the future, chopping down trees,

I enjoy looking at forests. The trees still get chopped down. I don’t die.

Is there a point to that post?

Stands corrected, there is a native narcissus. Were the flowers picked of this species?
My other point still stands.

was the op wearing lycra? could easily be mistaken for a pederast.

in this case the consequence isn’t a big deal but it seems a bit sad when we simply accept the destruction of something beautiful, that could be shared, because one group of people don’t have any appreciation that others might like to enjoy it

Like fox hunting, perhaps.

One point not yet raised is that by allowing ones’ little darlings to pick huge armfulls of pretty flowers, you are giving them carte blanche to help themselves to other, perhaps much rarer plants in the future.

I kind of thought it was accepted wisdom (amongst those with half a civilised brain) not to go around picking wild flowers, and most especially not to rip up massive, greedy armfulls, so I’m saddened and perplexed by a good many of the responses 🙁 By the sounds of the lady in the OP, I very much doubt she was taking the kids round any hospitals or old folks homes…

Woman, gets up and storms off and shouts to me ‘gerrra life’.

but cutting them and putting them inside, perhaps in a place where more people (school, church…..

see “gerra life” actually meant join me in church

poly – Member

TJ – where do you stand on brambling or picking elderflower for cordial or wine? That is something I not only do but encourage my kids to do. If everyone did it there would be a shortage

Fine – you are not depriving anyone else of the beauty of seeing them.

Different to the flowers

Is there a union to protect the rights of Daffodils.

Fine – you are not depriving anyone else of the beauty of seeing them.

Different to the flowers
I thought it was illegal. I could have sworn I’ve read it somewhere. 😕

^different to the elderflowers TJ.
Daffodils do not suffer and die from having their flowers picked. It is common practice to dead-head narcissus to promote more flower growth in the following season.

The plural of narcissus is narcissi.

This is important.

Yes I know see my first post

Wild! I bet they were livid.
< apologies to NTNOCN >

Wasn’t that The Seret Policeman’s Ball with Rowan Atkinson doing the school register? (ie ‘Mad? I was furious’).

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=beCYGm1vMJ0[/video]
😀

CaptainFlashheart – Member

in this case the consequence isn’t a big deal but it seems a bit sad when we simply accept the destruction of something beautiful, that could be shared, because one group of people don’t have any appreciation that others might like to enjoy it

Like fox hunting, perhaps.

No, we all know everyone agrees that fox hunting was jolly good fun and a spiffing traditional lark and that the sight of an animal being ripped apart as nature intended was as good as it got, it is very sad the impact that the ban has had on the UK economy – we were warned!

@ Paul – I couldn’t tell them apart anyway.

They had armfuls. They were children. They have little arms.

Thank Tard they weren’t MMA trained cage fighters.

Not everyone likes, picks, takes notice or even cares about daffs. They won’t vanish from the British countryside (I don’t have any interwebz sources to back this up btw).

And I thought AirgunBBS was full of mentals with nothing better to do 🙄

One point not yet raised is that by allowing ones’ little darlings to pick huge armfulls of pretty flowers, you are giving them carte blanche to help themselves to other, perhaps much rarer plants in the future.

That’s right they go out and as adults to pick bee orchards, it’s well known fact and it’s encouraged by video games like Plants Vs Zombies. It makes me sad to be British, won’t somebody think of the children etc.

I kind of thought it was accepted wisdom (amongst those with half a civilised brain) not to go around picking wild flowers,

I have a fully civilised brain so therefore realise there isn’t any real harm from kids picking a few odd flowers. I’m pretty sure it’s gone on for generations and the impact it’s had is tiny, we probably damage more rare plants riding our bikes.

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=m34lK1SRxc4[/video]

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=rAeO5fo1DPQ[/video]

Fine – you are not depriving anyone else of the beauty of seeing them.

Pffft, TJ’s shallow – the ugly plants have less rights than the pretty ones in his world! 😛

I was always discouraged from picking wildflowers. My dad would show them to me, tell me what they were and what cultivated plants they were related to, and any interesting features like whether they were horribly poisonous. I kept a flower diary in the spring and summer, drawing pictures of wild flowers and plants I’d spotted. Yeah, I was a cool kid. 😆

I was allowed to pick (non-poisonous) flowers from our garden though, and was taught how to press them. I also used to make ‘perfume’ from rose petals and water in milk bottles.

I don’t think I’d get het up about a child picking a couple of common wild flowers and making a posey, but stripping an area of flowers is a bit out of order.

EDIT: Also, top points for having a thread arguing about daffodils! 😆

You want middle(-ish…only one car now) class rant? I think I have missed Sienna Miller’s norks in Layer Cake.

it is very sad the impact that the ban has had on the UK economy – we were warned!

I am pretty sure the UK economy was harmed by something to do with banking.

yossarian – Member Nail ’em up
Nail some sense into ’em.

Brilliant. Nearly choked on my badger and swan sandwich.

Fascinating! A number of you seem to think ” my dad told me so” is good enough a reason to not pick daffodils.
Your dad mght have been clueless and just making it up.

No – its that the countryside code and good practice is ” take nothing but photos. leave nothing but footprints”

Who decided it is good practice? How was that decision made?

Do you really have to ask?

If people pick wild flowers then only they get the pleasure – if they leave them everyone does.

To pick them is selfish. Ok an odd one does not great harm but as in the OP here?

Its so simple and obvious I am astonished it is even questioned.

FWIW, the Scottish Outdoor Access Code says not to intentionally damage or disturb plants.

OTOH, daffodils are appearing in all sorts of weird and un-natural places and as far as I am concerned are a often no better than a weed – in the same way as Rhododendrons.

Oh biggity-bell-ends. Can’t really bring myself to take this thread seriously anymore, but; this doesn’t sound to me like a cute six year old picking “the odd flower” to take home for her cute cot-side table. It sounds like a couple of brats (“9 and 10 year old”) senselessly ruining a nice patch of daffodils whilst their mum tells anyone who’ll listen to F off.

Never mind the whole lightfooted-in-nature ethos; something which was pleasant to look at is now gone – not hard to get yer head round really…

But seeing happy children picking flowers gives pleasure to me and many others. Stopping children from doing this is selfish as it stops us from enjoying nature. This basic joy of seeing kids enjoying themselves is so obvious i’m surprised people are questioning it.

*sends kids round to SamC’s house to enjoy themselves wiping bogies on the rims of his coffee cups* They do so love that game 🙂

If the council spent thousands giving out bulbs for people to plant – were they wild? The daffodils existential existence probably means they were put out of their misery.

I struggle with long sentences (well I did read some of it) but I was always taught not to pick wild flowers, because by picking them you are killing them. The flowers put all that work in for nothing, and the bees/insects go hungry (or hungrier). And they are there for everyone to see, not for you to help yourself to.

Ask yourself what would happen if everyone did it.

Friut is different because it (mostly) isn’t admired for its beauty, and the plants have made them specifically for the purposes of eating. However I wouldn’t encourage going on a picking spree taking everything you can reach because a lot of animals depend on this stuff, and the plants want their seeds spread further than the sewage plant. Plus in the case of blackberries there are more than the birds can eat, at least round our way – half of them wither on the bramble.

i agree with tj, albeit that he’s wrong on one key point.

that is that these kids were obviously into their plants and could therefore distinguish narcissus pseudonarcissus from the more common and introduced cultivars. they would know then that the native stock had indeed been in decline due to a combo of changing argricultural practice, change in environment and people generally just taking them.

tj’s implication that these expert children will go on to wreak havoc on rare species (bunch of fritillary guvnor?) is churlish and any attempt by him to make parallel with any other ‘gathering’ such as butterfly collecting is entirely spurious.

No, we all know everyone agrees that fox hunting was jolly good fun and a spiffing traditional lark and that the sight of an animal being ripped apart as nature intended was as good as it got, it is very sad the impact that the ban has had on the UK economy – we were warned!

Sad indeed. You only have to look at the correlation that exists between the banning of fox hunting and the global financial criss, the rise of Muslamic Rayguns and the burgeoning careers of Akon and Pitbull to know that not having dogs tearing up foxes is a terrible mistake.

Ask yourself what would happen if everyone did it.

I wouldn’t encourage going on a picking spree

Have you bee possessed by TJ?

I’m not sure anyone is actually encouraging anyone else to go on a picking spree. As the whole world is following the sage advice regarding fruit rather than the scare tactics and unlikely scenario first suggested, I think we’re OK with the status quo.

Well I did my phd on wildflowers and spent years doing research on hay meadow and chalk grassland restoration and I’m not in anway outraged by kids picking daffs.