Project 365 #82

Dandelions

Every one has their official marker of the arrival of spring. For some it's the return of the robins or the cooing of the mourning doves. Maybe it's the explosion of color as the daffodils and the tulips present themselves to the sun. For me it's the profusion of dandelions in the grass.

I know for some the dandelion is the scourge in the quest for the greenest of green lawns. You can go to Home Depot and Lowes and buy bags of toxic chemicals with the helpless picture of a dandelion ready to be nuked into oblivion. This is logic turned upside down for the green lawn that resembles astro-turf is the barren wasteland and the poor misunderstood dandelion is an oasis to awakening bees in need of a quick pollen fix.

So before you turn your nose up at the dandelion here are some interesting facts which just might make you appreciate this little wonder:

• At least 93 different insects use dandelion pollen as food
• Their seeds are an important source of food for many small birds
• Each year over 55 tons of coffee substitute made from roasted dandelion roots is sold throughout the world
• Their leaves can be cooked or eaten raw in salads
• Dandelions have been used by various cultures as a curative especially in cleansing the liver and the kidney
  
• Dandelion leaves contains more than 6 units of Vitamin A than lettuce or carrots. And it's also a source of Vitamin B and C

Plus you can make a wish and blow their seeds into the air and if you're lucky your wish will land and take seed and grow. So for heavens sake enjoy those dandelions.