You can check out Rhonda Hayes at her blogwww.thegardenbuzz.com.
Many of you living further south than me (and that’s most of you) have already seen dandelions popping up on your lawns.
What’s your reaction? Do you groan at the thought of yet another season of fighting this “plant out of place,” or do you smile knowing that its sunny little bloom means that spring is upon us?
Here are some reasons to love the little dandelion.
1. Dandelions are an important first source of nectar for bees and other beneficial insects. Their blooms act as a bridge to survival for bees and other bugs that have managed to make it through winter until more plentiful blooms of spring appear.
2. Dandelions’ stubborn and seemingly endless taproots help to break up soil and actually draw vitamins and nutrients closer to the soil surface.
3. As long as they haven’t been sprayed with herbicide they are one of many foragers’ favorite early herbs. Added to salads and stir-fries they impart a bright and bitter flavor. Then of course there’s dandelion wine. I ate them on ravioli at a local food-centric café the other day and they were delicious.
And don’t forget to make wishes on their fuzzy heads!
Photo by Rhonda Hayes
