The meaning of dandelions and why they're on Jacksonville Center for Grief and Loss's logo.

You've probably seen dandelions before: yellow flowers which turn into white fluffy spheres.

Dandelion leaves have been used to cure many illnesses and pains, but as a flower symbol, the dandelion is the symbol of emotional healing. Since they can endure almost any living condition, they represent overcoming every hardship by standing strong and proud.

Although dandelions originated in Europe, they were brought to many other regions of the world and now can be found virtually anywhere. This is because dandelions can survive and thrive in many different environments, including some that are harsh enough to kill most plants. In other words, the dandelion is one tough plant!

In fact, the toughness of dandelions makes them very hard to get rid of. If you simply pull off the leaves and flowers, the plant will regenerate (re-grow), much like a starfish can regenerate if it loses its limbs.

Furthermore, the seeds have a unique way of spreading themselves around. You have probably noticed that dandelions become white and fluffy after they have bloomed.

Later on, some of the "fluff" blows away in the wind. These fluffy pieces are actually dandelion seeds being carried by tiny white "parachutes" which float well in the wind. This helps the plant to spread its seeds over a large area, which makes it more likely that some will land in a nice patch of soil and be able to grow into new dandelion plants.*

With all of this information in mind,  dandelions adorn my logo because...

They’re resilient

They’re strong

They survive loss and change, transform and bloom again.

It's  my mission to help you do the same.

-Rachel Weinstein, M.S. Ed.

Founder, Jacksonville Center for Grief and Loss

*Information and research was provided by Wikipedia and flowermeanings.com