Picking Wildflowers

[winter_unfazed]

Maybe this should have been on the politics forum here, but this is not about the simple action of picking wildflowers. This is about the song "Picking Wildflowers", by Rascal Flatts. It was brought to my attention on another forum.
We are campaigning for you to ask your local radio stations to stop playing the song. I know this may sound like a stunt or a bad case of political correctness, but this Campaign will raise awareness of ecological issues among rural residents.
Granted, picking wildflowers sounds innocent enough. However, there is more to this issue than getting out to enjoy nature, although that may be all the songwriter was thinking of. The other issue to which I refer is the piecemeal plunder of the environment.
It would not be a problem if they were going out into the woods later on, to collect wildflower SEEDS to plant in their gardens in a shady spot. Collecting wildFLOWERS is hampering the reproduction of the plant, especially if the plant is composite (as many of our beautiful woodland wild flowering plants are) and has a terminal inflorescence. Furthermore, if you are not well versed in botany, the flowers you collect in a back-woods clearing could be those of endangered or rare species. In a combination of these two scenarios, it could be Aster furcatus, an endangered composite plant.
Therefore, if that rascal (pun intended) wants to take his gal out in the woods to pick wildflowers, he should know that Aster furcatus may be on its last legs in that county.


THE CAMPAIGN EXHORTATION

Please contact your local radio stations, even ones you don't listen to, and request that they stop playing the song "Picking Wildflowers" by Rascal Flatts. It may sound ridiculous, but it will make a statement. THIS IS A SERIOUS CAMPAIGN; IT IS NOT A JOKE.

Songs that overtly glorify or romanticize the destruction of the environment should not be tolerated. Once again, THIS IS NOT A JOKE. Please act today!

[Cliff Timmons]

I don't know this song but, if I see flowers in a ditch, or anywhere on my property, and I'm in a rare romantic mood, I pick'em. It's the simple thing that God put on this earth that gives us pleasure. I honestly believe that is why He put them here. Yes, there is a danger in certian species becoming endangered by this practice, but I don't see droves of people out grazing the hillsides scavanging the enviroment.

I also play bluegrass music and if I didn't listen to songs which had killing, death, moonshine, stealing and so forth, well, there would be about 4 songs outside of Gospel songs that would be played.

But that's only my opinion and it's worth about as much as you paid for.
Not that anyone ever listens to me.<grin>

But if you feel strongly about this, I wish you luck.

[Bellepepper]

Here in KS, Flowers that grow in the fields and ditches along side the road are called weeds. The county mowes them down, cows eat them and the hay bailers bail them up. So far there is not a shortage of wild flowers. Picking them don't sound like a threat to me.

[chubbyduckie]

While I do believe God put plants here for a reason (medicine, for one)?? and I agree it's best to 'pick' wildflowers rather than 'dig' them; I don't see many people out picking OR digging them.
My neighbor has at least an acre of wild daisies. They are so pretty to see, but of course, his horses stomp them down when they're put in that area to pasture. What's the solution here; he should get rid of his horses??

I really don't feel this is a major problem, and if I were to call my local radio station about this, they would wonder what drug I was taking.
Not to make light of this, if you are really concerned, but I think we have a lot of other problems that need our attention right now.

I do wish you luck with your campaign, however.

[flowerpower]

If you don't like the song, complain to the band and/or the songwriter. Geez, it will only be on the radio for a few weeks anyway.

I just looked up that aster furcatus. There are alot of factors that are contributing to its decline. Mostly the biology of the plant itself. This is from the Chicago Botanical Garden website.

"Aster furcatus, which has summer flowers with white rays and yellow disc florets, grows to a height of 1-1/2 to 3 feet. Forked aster is at high risk primarily due to habitat loss, degradation and fragmentation. Because the plant is self-incompatible, it is not capable of producing seed unless cross-pollinated. This condition limits the plant’s ability to pollinate itself or to reproduce with other plants that are genetically similar. As population sizes decrease due to habitat destruction, successful reproduction for Aster furcatus becomes more difficult.

Aster furcatus occurs in various habitats. In Illinois, it is associated with glacial moraines, sedge meadows or woodland ponds. Many of these sites are moderately to heavily wooded, and flowering is sparse to almost nonexistent."

[winter_unfazed]

I'm not talking about picking them on the side of the road or in the ditch or the field; I'm talking about in the deep woods as the song suggests. As they always say, when you're out in the big timber, don't pull any flower that you can't identify.

Besides, this campaign is also intended to make a point, and raise ecological awareness in rural areas. It will make people think, when they hear that their radio station will no longer be playing a song because of environmental issues. Of course some will say "Oh gosh, what are we coming to?", though.

As for complaining to the band or songwriter, you can't really get to them; they have a lot of secretaries and phone answering people who would probably laugh you off. And besides, if the album is already released, they won't do anything about it anyway.


Radio stations are where you go when you want to get rid of a song. That was how they banned the rock song called "California Girls"(or something like that) a few years back, and that was how the Native American activists banned the ethnically insensitive rap song "Hey, Ya" last year. That's what works, because it takes a lot less people to get a song off a station than it does to get it off across the country, and once a station agrees to banish the song, it is like a snowball effect from there on.

[flowerpower]

I don't ever remember "Hey Ya" being taken off the radio. In fact, I just heard it on a commercial the other day. Maybe some of the smaller radio stations might listen to you. Good luck with the bigger ones.

My property is next to a wetland. I had a very long chat with a local DEC officer. She was very helpful. She had the list of plants and animals the Army Corps of Engineers found. They found an additional patch of Lady's Slipper Orchid than the ones I know about.

Do you know how bad I want to move one of them? I have the proper conditions much closer to my house. But I don't. Haven't even taken a seed- too afraid I will kill it. I did move a nice clump of Blue Flag Iris. It needed dividing.

[chubbyduckie]

I have a LOT of violets and shamrocks growing near our woods, and I dug two of each for my flower garden. I don't see anything wrong with that, as they will grow well there and multiply.
I couldn't take a ladyslipper or anything like that either, especially if there wasn't very many of them.

I believe it was in the 70's that the governor of Iowa ordered the radio stations there not to play the song "Convoy", as it was determined that it urged the truck drivers to drive over the speed limit. True story!!

BTW, how are you all getting the smilie icons IN your posts??

[zebraman]

Hey Guys;If You only knew how MANY Wingnuts called our studio every week regarding any number of rants you would know how much attention something like banning a song for this reason would get.None!
I personally have No problem digging up anything in the Wild unless its on state land.Lady slipper plants cost 300.00 each from a greenhouse legally
and even I wont pay that.If they were available wild,locally I would have already dug some up.If you live in a city you are responsible for habitat destruction.
You have to take into account that the number of people that are conscious of heiroom plants is So small that most people will veiw this type of campaign with contempt.
Look at All the Boycotts of "The Di Vinci Code".All this is going to accomplish is Box Office $$$$$!and besides Rascal Flatts is one of the Few C&W Bands that I listen to.
Also take a look at All the Species that have become Extinct in the last 25 years and "Who even noticed"?Only the PETA wingnuts and they Don't Count!-

[Cliff Timmons]

Besides aren't most top 40 stations are preprogramed by someone else in another state?

[GreenCap]

Flower if I were you I would get at least a couple seeds. You are going to grow more and if they are rare then more of them is a good thing. We won't tell ;) Chubby if you go to post reply at the bottom of the post instead of post quick reply then you will see the smilies to your right. :) Zebra, I think your right the DaVinci Code did well at the box office. Speaking of DaVinci code, what is all the fuss about anyways, it is Fiction isn't it?

[winter_unfazed]

THE EGG IS ON MY FACE..at least about this song in the campaign.

First of all, "Picking wildflowers" is not by Rascal Flatts; it is by some other fellow named Keith Anderson, of whom I had not heard before.

Second, of all, Keith Anderson has actually caught wind of this campaign to ban the song (along with another song about coal mining). He explains that the Picking Wildflowers song has nothing to do with the literal action, but it is actually (gasp!) code for something totally unrelated. Phrases in the lyrics such as 'make it 007', 'take a trailride, if you know what I mean', and 'do some pollinating; dive on in like honeybees' are said to actually be innuendos of a risque nature.

A personal friend of Anderson says regarding the song ban campaign, "I am...laughing my hiney off! This is so funny...the song has nothing to do with picking wildflowers at all; it is full of innuendo. Phrases like "get a little peace...on earth" and " take a trail ride if you know what I mean" and "do some pollinating" have not one thing to do with flowers, and the only seeds involved in this song are the kind that result in a baby nine months later..I, as a mother of a 16 year old daughter, don't care for the song, but I love the singer; he is a great guy...I am just shaking my head; this is too funny."


So, I should have researched it before I passed it on to you all at this forum. My bad.

[Cliff Timmons]

We must be related. I do stuff like that all the time. <grin>