Dandelion Delight
Learn:
Dandelions… It’s a love-hate relationship for us. I love the sunny yellow flowers in early spring, but don’t love the feel of them when they take over our lawn! Guess I’ll have to give up the lawn, right?
Dandelions only started being known as a weed in the middle of the last century as people began wanting lawns that looked uniform. (Read: monoculture of grass!) Native to Europe, it is believed that they were purposely brought over to the Americas because of their medicinal benefits. It’s a gentle diuretic (reduces salts in body and blood pressure) and also contains copious amounts of Vitamin A, Vitamin C, iron, calcium, and potassium.
They’re also a great “weed”y species: they grow in many different conditions, have long roots, produce many seeds, can regrow from sections of root, and are fast growers to boot. Kind of like people, when you think about it…
Still don’t totally love them? Let your grass grow to 3-4” to shade out the dandelions, or use a weed pulling tool instead of conventional herbicides. The insects that we need to feed other animals will thank you!
So, enjoy those cheery blossoms when you see them, and try to appreciate this hardy, sun-loving flower!
Read:
As dandelions are the perfect flower for kids to pick, braid, blow on, rub on their arms, pop the flower head off, and watch insects crawl on, there are many picture books that celebrate this wonderful childhood flower. One of my favorites is “Dandelions: Stars in the Grass” by Mia Posada. It’s a lovely rhyming book that celebrates the life cycle of the dandelion in simple, short text. It’s a perfect text to share before going outside to search for dandelions in your yard!
Do:
Long, long dandelion stems are a prize for any child to find. While they compare lengths, you can also braid the stems into a chain or a crown. Just start with three dandelions and wrap their stems. (I used to just french braid them together, but then YouTube happened and I found this excellent video tutorial.) I also love that you can add in other flowers or grasses to make a piece of ephemeral art!