The yellow blossoms of the dandelion are the harbingers of spring as is the annual assault to eradicate them from lawns along with the lowly white clover that blooms later. Leave those beneficial blooms alone! All those chemicals used to eradicate them pollute our streams and ground water and the valiant blooms with their wafting seeds always emerge triumphant anyway --- probably in your neighbors’ yards.
The dandelion provides an important nectar source for honeybees living off stores in the hives over winter. Most of the dandelion honey fills brood chambers so the bees can forage for the sweet nectar that fills our human craving for honey. That’s when the bees are attracted to those white clover blossoms that flourish in lawns if saved from chemical warfare.
Still not satisfied with the dandelion’s importance? Start considering the possibilities of dandelion salad, dandelion root tea and dandelion wine. Dandelions pack a nutritious punch with copious amounts of vitamins A, C, D, and B-complexes and minerals such as iron, magnesium, zinc potassium, manganese, copper, choline, calcium, boron, and silicon. Small wonder that in pioneer times the dandelion was seen as a fine spring tonic boosting the winter-depleted immune system.
Herbalists tout the dandelion as a mild diuretic that decreases serum cholesterol in some people, can treat some digestive disorders and stimulate the appetite. Toasted dandelions root is a caffeine-free alternative to coffee.
For the winemaker the dandelion is a free source of bounty. All those blossoms bothering you? Just pluck them, sit under a tree to pull the flowers off the green stems and you have the beginning of a delightful beverage. The bees will thank you. So will the gardeners and orchard growers that depend on the bees for pollination.
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