THE LOWLY DANDELION

The Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) takes a lot of abuse for such a pretty and edible flower. Most people can't stand them and do all they can to remove them from their prized lawns.
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The truth is, these lowly flowers are essential as an emergency supply of pollen and nectar for early season bees. There's a movement going on in the U.S.A. called No Mow May.........adherents will not mow their lawns for the month of May...which is exactly the time frame needed by bees to survive the early season.
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Mow all you want after May....but let the dandelions and other "garbage" flowers be as they are important to keep bees healthy and fit.
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They are also edible in this stage...once they form seed and turn white they are inedible. Go on line....there are all sorts of "recipes" for roast dandelion blossoms. Even the early season green leaves make a tasty addition to spice up a salad. After Spring, they become quite bitter but are still edible if boiled and decanted several times to mitigate the bitterness.  Rather reminiscent of cooked spinach.
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Best in Large.