Every spring, it raises its yellow head towards the sky, closing at night and then opening wide again each morning with the arrival of the sun. Dandelions are one of the most vital spring pollinators, yet most frowned upon when seen on lawns. Their tall stacks easily bend as the mower passes over, rising as soon as this possible disaster passes. They stand ever tall, with both their flowers and their seeds. The resilience of this plant amazes me. I have seen them growing in all sorts of hostile environments, yet these plants flourish.

 

They are also edible and amazingly enough, they are good for you. It has medicinal properties. I won’t go into these here but will tell you that that’s the reason they were actually imported into our continent. More important is that its long taproot brings nutrients to the top of the soil, making those nutrients more available for the shallow-rooted companion plants. Plus they add nitrogen and other minerals to the soil. They also help fruit ripen!

 

When I see them, I see little suns fallen on the ground all around me. How glorious! Bright yellow, resilient.  And then those little seed puffballs to blow – what child hasn’t? What child in us forgets the joy of them? For me, not a perfect lawn, but these heralds of spring amid the grass and clover. Such variety of size, shape, and color adds a lot, I think. Don’t you?