(WKBN)- This is the season featuring spring growth from the ground to the treetops. Leaves are sprouting and flowers are blooming.
Your yard is growing and turning green. Some yards are becoming filled with yellow flowering dandelions.
To some they are not wanted, for others they are a welcome site to feed both insects and some birds.
The dandelion is a perennial that can grow in any year. It can grow in many types of soil conditions. Like most plants, the richer the soil, the better the growth. The dandelion is hardy and can live through frost and freezes. Heat and little moisture will cause the plant to struggle, but it typically won’t kill the plant.
The Dandelion has a deep root structure which will allow it to survive drought and competition from other plants.
Why is it called a dandelion?
According to The Ohio State University Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center the name “Dandelion” is from the French ‘dent de lion’ or ‘lion’s tooth and refers to the jagged-edged leaves. So, it is named after a lion’s tooth.
The official name is Lentodon Taraxacum.
Through the years and around the world, the dandelion has been called many things. Below you will see a list of some of the names used for this plant according to The Ohio State University Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
A few other names for Dandelions
Lentodon Taraxacum
Bitterwort
Blow-Ball
Clockflower
Cankerwort
Irish Daisy
Lion’s Tooth
Priest’s Crown
Swine’s Snout
Telltime
Where did the dandelion come from?
The most likely source is Eurasia. The dandelion has moved to practically all parts of the northern hemisphere including Ohio and Pennsylvania.
Who eats the dandelions in your yard?
The dandelion can provide a large source of both pollen and nectar to a large variety of insects. Some that are known to use the dandelion include butterflies, bees, moths and beetles.
The source of food can be an extra help to bumblebee queens early in spring as a great resource as they try to establish their colony.
Some birds eat dandelion seeds. Finches and sparrows are a few that use the seed as a source of feed.
