Day 264: Oxeye Daisies are a common sight on the southwest Washington prairies. A non-native species, they are not on the invasive plant list although they do frequently out-compete native wildflowers and grasses. They often grow in "drifts," blanketing large areas where conditions are favourable. You should feel no pangs of conscience if you want to stop and pick a bouquet. In fact, these flowers present a great opportunity to explain osmosis to your kids. You undoubtedly have everything you need on hand for the experiment except perhaps the daisies, so take a drive or ride your bike and gather some up.
Fill a vase with water and add several drops of food coloring. Put your daisy bouquet in the water, and in about 24 hours, you should see color starting to infuse the petals from the center. As the daisies stand longer, the color will spread until the flowers no longer show any white. You can turn your daisies red, green, blue or even purple! Planning a Fourth of July picnic? Pick three batches and make a red, white and blue arrangement for your table! Some dye will drain back out of the stems, so wait to combine them until right before presentation.
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