Let's learn to love the dandelion

On the grassy slopes of the New River and the lush new grass on municipal lawns, clustered in the meadows and woods of Railway Fields, in gardens both lovingly tended and carelessly unkempt, pushing up through cracks in the pavement, spaces in street planters, even clinging to the tops of concrete bridges on the New River, they are everywhere.

This is dandelion season, a long one that stretches from now until October, and the bright yellow heads of taraxacum officinale have bloomed just in time for the serious re-appearance of butterflies, bees and many other bugs.

Dandelions are considered a weed by most gardeners, but a mighty food by (human) foragers. All of the plant can be eaten: the leaves, which were considered an essential of salads and eaten in sandwiches by the Victorians; the roots, which can be dried to make dandelion coffee; the flowers from which dandelion wine is made (May Day was said to be the best day to gather them for winemaking purposes) as well as used in cooking;  even the milky sap was used to nourish young lambs and calves. Fruit farmers have been known to cultivate them in orchards as they give off ethylene gas which ripens fruit faster.The plants are a rich source of vitamins A, B, C, and D, and contain minerals such as iron, potassium and zinc. A quick google for recipes reveals lots of pages dedicated to cooking with dandelions, although it is important to be careful where you pick your dandelions, best not to throw the ones near roads into your risotto tonight. 

Dandelions are, of course, notorious for their diuretic property which probably explains their French name, pissenlit, and the fact that one of their folk names in many English counties is piss-the-beds. Incidentally flower folklore has it that if a bedwetting child sniffs the flowers on May Day, they will stop having the problem for a year. Quite what the magic is between May Day and dandelions is, I have yet to discover. In traditional herbal medicine it was recommended for liver, kidney and digestive disorders.

The name dandelion refers to its serrated leaves which are said to look like lion's teeth (dens leonis) but it has many folk names including fairy clocks, time-teller, priest's crown, devil's milk plant and the less magical names like bum-pipe, shit-a-bed and stink davine. In Gaelic it is known as Bearnan Bride - "little notched plant of Bride" as it is a plant sacred to Saint Bride or Brigid, who is closely associated with birth, fertility, cattle, milk and butter.

While it is not encouraged to pick wildflowers, and you may run into problems if you pick for commercial use (the law is explained here ), dandelions, due to their abundance,  have been identified as one of 12 to pick by the charity Plantlife, worried that children and adults are interacting less and less with wildflowers, as part of their great Wildflower Hunt. I don't know any child big or small who doesn't love to blow the seeds away on a 'dandelion clock' and its perfectly okay to let them.

For me, though, it is watching the insects visiting them that is the exciting bit. Dozens of different types land on those great yellow heads for nourishment. It is the food plant of many moth caterpillars and the seeds are eaten by sparrows and goldfinches.

Have I convinced you yet? Maybe not if you're a gardener but, for me, the dandelion is a wonderful plant. Hopefully, the next time you spot a cluster of them, you'll feel a bit warmer towards them too.

While you're here, if you made it this far...

Dandelion is one of those lost words from the Junior Oxford Dictionary. D is for data not dandelion these days but if you still want to contribute to the big green bookshop crowdfunder to put as many copies of The Lost Words book into North London Primaries as possible you have TWO DAYS left.

Read more here about why it matters