In the Northern Hemisphere we are now entering spring. Trees are blooming and putting on leaves. Some early flowers have popped up and are beginning to add some color to our gardens. Dandelions are now showing up in our lawns.
Keep the Dandelions and reap the benefits.
While you might want to eradicate them from your property, leaving them could be of more benefit than you realize. They are one of earliest sources of nectar for pollinators. You might notice honeybees or even bumble bees flitting from one yellow bloom to the next. Dandelions are one of the earliest sources of food for bees during the spring and summer months.
Not only are they a great food source for bees and other pollinators, but they are also edible for you as well. Use them in salads, make tea, or even make your own Dandelion wine. As sweet as honey but with its own delicate flavor, Dandelion jelly is a real treat.
Dandelions are not only useful they offer many health benefits. There is some evidence they help in boosting the immune system and act as both an antiviral and antibacterial agent on the body. They also may fight inflammation. These are only a few of the ways in which you could benefit from the proper use of Dandelions in your diet.
They might have a reputation as a weed, but one person’s weed is another person’s or bee’s source of food. Honey made from the pollen of Dandelions is delicious.
By choosing not to use weed killers on your lawn you can be making a better food source choice for these valuable creatures as well as your family.
Each of us holds a responsibility to the creatures we share this Earth with. Let’s do our best to provide them with what they need to give them the best chances of continuing to pollinate throughout the spring and summer. We can then partake of the many crops and foods we would not have without them. When they eat, we eat.
Cherish the Journey!!
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