Nature on our doorsteps: The Dandelion season begins

Rosaleen Dwyer is the County Heritage Officer at South Dublin County Council – every week she gives us an insight into the natural heritage around us and the beautiful biodiversity of the plants and creatures.

WITH the recent increase in temperature and bright sunshine, Dandelions are beginning to turn lawns and grass verges bright yellow.

While their sunny-yellow pom-pom heads can often be seen popping up at any time during the year, the main flush of their flowering season generally begins around the end of March and continues into May and early June.

The appearance of Dandelions after a cold spring is greatly welcomed by honeybees, bumblebees, and hoverflies.

As these important pollinating insects begin to emerge from their winter period of dormancy, they need to quickly build up their energy for the breeding season ahead.

They can only do this by feeding well on good sources of nectar and pollen.

Dandelions are rich in pollen and nectar, and because of the shape of the flower head and its many petals, this food is easily accessed by most insects.

Roadside verges become vital stopping-off places for pollinating insects

Also, Dandelions often occur in great numbers wherever they grow.

This abundance is a great benefit to insects.

It means that they do not waste vital energy flying long distances between flowers in order to collect enough pollen and nectar.

Once the flowers have been pollinated, they close up again for about a week or two while the seeds develop and mature.

When ready, they open up again to reveal the fluffy seedheads.

We can help our pollinating insects in springtime by not mowing the lawn while the Dandelions are in flower.

If we can wait until the majority of the flowers have finished flowering, insects have a much better chance of surviving until the summertime flowers are in bloom.

While some people dislike this plant, Dandelions also have nutritional and medicinal value for us too.

This was valued much more in the distant past, however, and in medieval times Dandelions were once deliberately grown in herb and medicine gardens where grass was seen as the ‘weed’ to be removed from around the cultivated Dandelions.