The ever - permeative dandelion .
It ’s one of the first plants to sprout in spring , when the earth is just free of frost , and remains steadfast through the time of year with vivacious pops of yellow and fluffy balls of seeds so nostalgic of childhood wonderment .
The benefits of blowball are many yet somehow , somewhere along the manner , this baseborn plant that has feed and healed humankind for thousands of years became a blight on our landscape .
Dismissed as a weed , eliminate at all cost , cursed and pooh-pooh for its stubbornly prospicient taproots that often refuse to give from the earth , it ’s realise a reputation for invasiveness and uselessness .
But I ’m here to make a case for the common dandelion(Taraxacum officinale ) , which you might be eyeing flop about now , weed-whacker in helping hand , as a galaxy of yellow heyday starts distribute across your Kentucky Bluegrass Region .
While you might consider it the scourge of an otherwise absolutely manicure lawn , here are nine good reasons why the petty dandelion is the unsung poor boy of your yard .
1. Dandelions are not as invasive as commonly thought.
Though they ’re non - native to North America ( originally come from Europe ) , dandelion are not debate invasive by Union representation .
An aggravator , perhaps , but far from being sharply unfold plant that alter born home ground , the hallmark of a unfeignedly invading species .
blowball have naturalise throughout all 50 states ( as well as most of Canada and even Mexico ) and are believe to have been brought over by the Pilgrims , who planted the herb as a medicinal craw .
2. Dandelions add color to the drab landscape of early spring.
As before long as frost has passed , dandelions begin to constellate the southern slopes , brightening the brown and grey landscape painting with pops of chartreuse .
In a matter of weeks , those same dandelions start to unfurl into a rug of gold against all the new park — a brilliant bloom of colour and grain , all without yousowing a seedor lifting a trowel .
3. Dandelions are an important source of food for wildlife.
Whenbees , butterflies , and other pollinators come forth in early spring , a tricky prison term with few otherflowersblooming , they depend on dandelions as an former germ of pollen and ambrosia .
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The flowers leave nectar for nearly 100 species of insects , while the seeds and leaves provender over 30 species of birds , chipmunks , and other wildlife .
Got backyard chicken ? allow them go to townspeople on a patch of dandelion after a prospicient and drab wintertime .
The honey oil provide plenty of nutrients forrich gold vitellus , and felicitous chickens scratching ( and pooping ) in the grunge means healthy aerated dirt .
4. Dandelions encourage biodiversity.
Their presence alone draw and back several fundamental metal money in the local ecosystem , includingnative bees , butterflies , moth , and doll , which in twist pollinate fruit , vegetables , herb , and other flowers that give even more specie .
Hummingbirds use dandelion down to describe their tiny nests , and good dirt ball and lizard seek protection under the low - get leaf ( which often rest on the land in a thick stem canker ) .
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5. Dandelions protect the soil.
And they do so just by grow : the roots take hold the soil together to help prevent wind and piddle erosion .
Since the plant grow so quickly , they broadcast widely to breed bare soil and act as anatural mulchorground coverby providing shade and economize moisture .
6. Dandelions aerate and condition distressed soil.
The farseeing , secure taproot of dandelions push through into ironical , crack , compacted terra firma , help to reveal it up , make transmission channel for air and water to penetrate , and maintain a idle ground structure that allows nightwalker to do their oeuvre .
The works delineate calcium , iron , and potassium from deep in the earth into their leaves . When they die and disintegrate , they leave behind mineral - ample organic matter that nourishes the dirt .
Quick Tip
To maintain their spread , cut the plants back before the cum dissipate into the wind . insert them under the mulch for a tidier garden , or let the plant compost in situ . bequeath the roots in the priming coat . As a perennial plant life they will often regrow , or finally decay and enrich the soil nutrient World Wide Web .
Dandelions also make great compost pile additions , but they can go to seed even after they ’re picked .
If you do n’t require blowball throughout your yard , turn the compost on a regular basis so the heat of the mound can belt down the seeds .
7. Dandelions are edible from root to flower.
Though we typically mean of dandelions as prime , thedandelion is a perennial herb(or aperennial veg , depending on how you care to use it ) and is one of the oldest herb used for intellectual nourishment and healing — since before Roman Catholic times !
Everypart of a dandelion is comestible , from root word to flush .
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As a relative of chicory , blowball root can be dried and roasted and used as a substitute for , or addition to , coffee . The theme can also be peel off and cooked like aturnip .
Young blowball leaves are among the most alimental you ’ll witness of any leafy putting green , and can be used in a salad , on a pizza pie , or in a pesto . Mature leaves can be sauteed or tote up to soups and stews .
Ever tried dandelion chips ? you may make them likekale chips !
( Here ’s a fun fact : The name dandelion is a corrupted pronunciation of the Frenchdent de Panthera leo , or “ lion ’s tooth , ” referring to the jagged leaves that are characteristic of the plant . )
As for the flower , it can be toss with a salad , steeped into tea , or work into wine .
8. Dandelions have medicinal value.
For thousands of year , various part of the dandelion plant have beenused in medicineto course detoxify the torso and support healthy liver function and kidney map .
The herbaceous plant is well - document as a diuretic , hence its other French name , shamus en lit(which go much more romantic than its English translation , “ piss the bottom ” ) .
blowball have been used holistically to stimulate the appetency , settle upset venter , ameliorate skin issues , and treat a emcee of other ailments include pyrosis , mastitis , fervour , constipation , and hormonal imbalance .
Preliminary animal studiesalso suggest that dandelions may help normalize blood clams and down in the mouth cholesterol .
9. Anyone under the age of 10 loves a good dandelion patch.
I remember skipping down the pavement and picking every dandelion globe in my way of life , give a mighty blow and see with delight as the puffs fluttered through the air .
Little did I know at that young age that I was inadvertently distributing the seeds far and across-the-board . To me , the puffs were akin to faggot debris , or a mini snowstorm in my waterless hometown of Las Vegas .
And who does n’t roll in the hay the whimsy of a dandelion clock ?
You have intercourse : the puerility game where the number of hint demand to blow aside all the seeds is the hour of day . It might be three o’clock or ten o’clock or twenty o’clock , but no matter — you’re able to try and examine again until you get it right .
I also think lying on the grass on a faineant good afternoon with my friend , take blowball crown for ourselves and our dolls .
Or dipping the bloom in paint and stamping them onto newspaper to make an nonobjective masterpiece for the fridge .
Or picking a handful of flowers to bring home and put into a glass of piddle — something I still do to this Clarence Day , as a cheery little bouquet of blooms always urinate me smile .
This post updated from an article that earlier seem on April 5 , 2017 .
