A lot is written about how important dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are to the honey bee. Indeed, honey bees flock to dandelions both in the early spring and in times of dearth when little else is in bloom. But unlike some other pollen plants, dandelions are only a mediocre food source.
Also question is, why dandelions are good for your yard?
Dandelions are good for your lawn. Their wide-spreading roots loosen hard-packed soil, aerate the earth and help reduce erosion. The deep taproot pulls nutrients such as calcium from deep in the soil and makes them available to other plants. Dandelions actually fertilize the grass.
How long does it take to grow a dandelion?
The plant requires as little as eight weeks to grow through the seedling stage and bloom, and the bloom matures to seeds in as little as a week. In a 30-week growing season, three generations of dandelions can grow.
Can you eat the dandelions in your yard?
The taste of dandelion resembles a slightly bitter green like arugula. You can eat them fresh in salads, or cook them on the stove. The best part about eating dandelions just might be the price. Since they grow wild pretty much everywhere in the country, you have a completely free food source right in your backyard.
What attracts bees to dandelion flowers?
Plant flowers that bloom at different times to attract bees throughout the growing season. Create a ‘bee bath’. Even weeds like dandelions provide valuable nectar early in the season for bees. Wait to pluck the dandelion flowers until just before they are ready to burst into seed.
Why are dandelions good for the environment?
The bees need the dandelions as an early source of nectar and pollen, but the dandelions do not need the bees. They can reproduce by a process called apomixis, the seeds developing without pollination. Each new dandelion is thus genetically identical to the parent plant. Dandelions brighten the early spring landscape.
Do honey bees use dandelions?
Bees collect nectar and pollen from plants for food. They make honey from the nectar. If a hive survives the winter, beekeepers know the bees will be safe from starvation if they can stay alive until dandelions bloom. Dandelion pollen is moderately nutritious and the nectar is abundant.
Are dandelions invasive?
Invasive Plant Species. Although Katmai has multiple species of native dandelions, the common dandelion is a threatening invasive in the park. Common dandelions, native to Europe and Asia, produce many wind dispersed seeds that easily spread over large areas.
Are dandelions endangered?
And we’ll start with a species that no one but a Southern California botanist might ever guess could possibly be endangered: a dandelion. Not just any dandelion, of course. The Eurasian import that dots our overwatered lawns, Taraxacum officinale, might well be one of the least endangered plants there is.
When can I cut dandelions?
First, mow often to cut the heads off of dandelions before they go to seed. Second, set the lawn mower deck so that the grass does not get cut shorter than 2-2 ½ inches. Keeping the grass longer allows it to block light that dandelions need to grow. Third, leave the grass clippings on the ground.
What pollinates a dandelion flower?
The most common method of dandelion reproduction is through its wind-aided dispersal of seeds which germinate almost year-round. Pollination of the dandelion occurs when insects carry its pollen from one flower to another, but dandelions can also pollinated themselves.
Do bees use dandelions?
A lot is written about how important dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) are to the honey bee. Indeed, honey bees flock to dandelions both in the early spring and in times of dearth when little else is in bloom. But unlike some other pollen plants, dandelions are only a mediocre food source.
How does a dandelion reproduce?
And they do so likely because they produce seeds asexually, that is, without the complications of sexual reproduction, such as pollination. This is because most dandelions reproduce by a process called apomixis. Hence, most, if not all, of the dandelions in your neighborhood may be clones.
Do Dandelions attract bees?
Most of the important bee plants in the Northeast are wildflowers. Of these, probably the single most valuable early spring wildflower is the dandelion. If a hive survives the winter, beekeepers know the bees will be safe from starvation if they can stay alive until dandelions bloom.
Can budgies eat dandelion flowers?
Everybody knows the dandelion (Taraxacum officinale). But most people do not know that the leafs of this common plant are a delicacy for budgies and other pet birds. Fresh dandelion can be picked from March to November. You should also try if your birds like to eat dandelion that was frozen before being served.
Where are dandelions found?
Taraxacum officinale, the common dandelion (often simply called “dandelion”), is a flowering herbaceous perennial plant of the family Asteraceae (Compositae). It can be found growing in temperate regions of the world, in lawns, on roadsides, on disturbed banks and shores of water ways, and other areas with moist soils.
Do rabbits eat dandelions?
Dandelion. Most rabbits consider dandelions (Taraxacum officinale) very tasty! They are quite easy to recognise, their leaves can look a bit like other plants if you aren’t used to weed ID but the big pom pom seed heads on a single stem are easy to spot. Rabbits can eat the leaves and flowers.
Are buttercups poisonous to bees?
When the plant dies, the protoanemonin no longer retains its toxicity as it is only present in the growing buttercup. Right now, buttercups are in full bloom creating a haven of toxicity for unsuspecting honey bees. When bees eat this stored pollen they experience certain symptoms from the poison within minutes.
How does a dandelion disperse its seeds?
This is wind dispersal. Seeds from plants like dandelions, swan plants and cottonwood trees are light and have feathery bristles and can be carried long distances by the wind. Some plants, like kauri and maple trees, have ‘winged’ seeds. They don’t float away but flutter to the ground.
Where does the dandelion grow?
Dandelions are perennial, herbaceous plants that grow best in moist, sunny areas found in all parts of the northern temperate zone. The plant grows year round but goes dormant in areas that experience a cold winter. The dandelion taproot, thick, sturdy and dark brown, can penetrate the soil up to 10 to 15 feet.
How is a dandelion pollinated?
Dandelions can even pollinate themselves in cases when the bud does not open due to lack of sunlight. The seeds develop within the bud and start to push up through the top of the bud. The insects that land on the dandelion stir around the pollen on the anther, causing it to fall onto the stigma of the carpel.
Do bees like clover?
So while honey bees may not prefer red clover, other bees think it’s the cat’s meow. And contrary to rumor, crimson clover is an excellent honey bee plant and will often produce a crop of good quality honey.
Do bees like daffodils?
Based on the fact that daffodils have large showy flowers, I assume that sometime in the distant past daffodils were pollinated by insects—probably bees. But like most flowers that have been highly manipulated by plant breeders, daffodils are no longer particularly attractive to insects.