A changing of the guard is now taking place in fields and meadows as pink and white clover tall grasses yield to oxeye daisies. The simple flowers will bloom all summer, but right now they are at their best for cutting, still a little furled, perhaps paired with some lavender from the kitchen garden in a simple white vase on the old farm table.

The child’s art of making daisy chains endures — we are reminded of this every year when students at the Martha’s Vineyard Public Charter School graduate, wearing wreaths of flowers in their hair in place of the traditional tassled caps. To be sure, daisy chains are for wearing, not tossing.

The common oxeye daisy, a member of the sunflower family (Asteraceae), is sometimes considered a weed. It was originally introduced to North America from Europe. The oxeye species — the “day’s eye” — is no friend to dairy farmers because it produces an unwanted flavor in milk.

But in every other way, daisies are a friendly presence, waving gently in the June breezes as summer beckons.