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Dandelions, or taraxacum officinale, are a member of the Asteraceae family. The
Asteraceae family includes many flowering plants, including Echinacea, chrysanthemums,
daisy, dahlias, zinnia, marigolds, and sunflowers. Dandelions are native to Eurasia and are now
naturalized in North America. While most of us won't have trouble identifying a dandelion,
there are several characteristics worth noting. Leaves are organized in a basal rosette and
are hairless, wavy, and deeply lobed. Flower stalks are round, hollow, and contain a milky
juice. The stalks are topped by a yellow flower head with 150-200 ray florets that smell rather
pleasant. When florets mature, they become single brown achenes with tufts of white hair.
Think of the dandelion seed heads you blew all over the yard when you were a kid.
Dandelions are often found in disturbed areas like yards, boulevards, and empty lots. They
are good at spreading themselves everywhere. They can produce up to 5,000 seeds per plant.
Seeds can be produced apomictically, or without pollination. The unpollinated, asexually produced
seeds are then clones of the parent plant. Dandelions can also spread via their extremely
long underground taproot. These traits make them a prolific spreader.
So why care about this weedy plant? Well, Dandelions are a unique and important environmental
resource. They bloom early in the growing season, making them an important pollen and
nectar source during a time when there isn’t much else available. They also grow just about
anywhere, often in places that would otherwise be considered food deserts for pollinators.
They also have other uses. Several caterpillar species eat dandelions. Resourceful people
can also use dandelions to make wine, beer, tea, salads, and medicines.
Dandelions can be an important food source for many bees, long and short tongued alike,
as well as bee flies. This includes many native bee groups like bumblebees, mason bees, sweat
bees, and miner bees. They also serve as a food source for economically important and
ever popular honeybees. Bees often have trouble finding food in urban areas, especially during
early spring. Dandelions can fill this void.
There are many ways that we can safely incorporate Dandelions in the landscape. Leaving a few
in your yard can be a great place to start. You could purposefully manage a single bed
of dandelions. To control their spread, simply remove the flower heads before they go to
seed. A few may still propagate themselves via their taproot, but this is manageable.
Many parks and public areas spray to eradicate dandelions, but this practice should be reduced
as to provide a diverse diet for pollinators. Some orchardists have found Dandelions directly
compete with their crops. This can be problematic when it results in incomplete pollination
of crops like apple. Orchards may want to manage other pollinator-friendly plants instead
of dandelions. Keep in mind that pollinators cannot survive on dandelions alone. Planting
other early flowering bee-friendly plants in the yard and in parks is important not
only for pollinator nutrition but also to combat dandelion’s invasiveness. Some of
these plants include Forget-me-Not, Lungwort, Crocus, And Linden Trees.
We hope you find this information useful and are able to incorporate a few dandelions into
your landscape. Thanks for watching!