Amateur Naturalist: Two Weeks Of Flowering Beauty

A lawn with a field of dandelions at their peak. Yellow flowers are the front while balls of the white seed are toward the back. Photo by Bob Dryja

A closer view of dandelion flowers and their balls of seed. Photo by Bob Dryja

By ROBERT DRYJA
Los Alamos

The green lawns of spring time are perfect for the growth of dandelions. A well-kept lawn has fertile soil just inches below the grass. The lawn also may be well-watered and the grass mowed so as to be too tall. Dandelion seeds emerge in the early spring. They float easily in the air and then settle between grass blades to grow. What is a good setting for grass also is a good setting for dandelions.

A new dandelion plant typically blooms after its first year. A flower actually is cluster of small flowers (called florets) growing together in a circular ball. A seed grows from each small flower and is called a parachute or pappus. The seeds form a white circular ball that falls apart in a breeze and the individual seeds drift away.

A field of dandelions may bloom at the same time. A yellow field is created but may last for only a week. A field of white replaces the yellow as a result of the emerging seed balls. The field of white also may last only a week before the seeds are blown away. Dandelions therefore create an impressive field of color for two weeks during the summer. Dandelions otherwise are a low-lying inconspicuous green plant for most of summer.

The dandelion can be source of nourishment and treatment of various kinds of medical problems. Arabian physicians in the 10th century used it as a kind of medicine. It was brought to the Americas with European settlers. As an example, its juice was recommended for application to the base of eyebrows so that hair would regrow. Its roots, leaves and flowers can be eaten as part of a salad. The dandelion often is considered to be only a weed to be removed from a lawn. However, it can be so much more.

Dandelion flowers blooming together can may a lawn look nice. Note the green leaves growing at ground level around the flowers.

A close up of a dandelion seed ball. Fifty or more individual seeds may grow in a cluster. A single yellow flower actually is composed of many florets growing next to one another.

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