No Mow May is a growing cultural movement across Europe and Canada that celebrates Public Enemy Number One: the dandelion
© Copyright by GrrlScientist | hosted by Forbes
Some people really really hate dandelions. As soon as they see a green serrated leaf or sunny yellow blossom in their lawn, in a crack of their driveway, or next to their mailbox, they lose their minds. A dandelion invasion is underway! For these passionate dandelion haters, the sight of even one dandelion on their property is enough to send them in search of a weedwacker or a can of poison so they can launch an herbicidal counter-attack.
Despite this loathing, dandelions, like other wildflowers, are integral parts of the food web. Although they originated in Europe, dandelions are not considered invasive in North America because they don’t displace native plants. Further, they don’t tend to persist if disturbed landscapes are allowed to heal. Naturalized throughout all 50 states, as well as in most of Canada and Mexico, dandelions are thought to have been brought to the Americas by the Pilgrims, who planted them as a medicinal and food crop.
Dandelions have much to recommend them. They are resilient, growing in poor, thin, or compacted soils. They withstand frost and freezing and tolerate crowding. Heat and insufficient moisture will cause the leaves to get bitter, but don’t kill the plant. Dandelions flower repeatedly, starting in early spring and provide nectar and pollen for nearly 100 species of insects, such as butterflies, moths and native bees, many of which are either declining or endangered, whilst the leaves, roots and seeds are eaten by over 30 species of birds, chipmunks, and other wildlife. Because dandelions grow so quickly, and spread so widely to cover bare soil, they act as a natural mulch or ground cover by providing shade and conserving moisture. Then after the snow falls, they die back and decompose, leaving behind mineral-rich organic matter that nourishes the soil.
In addition to filling an important role in the ecosystem, every part, from root to flower, is edible. Dandelions can be eaten raw in a salad or on a pizza, or roasted, sautéed, cooked or drunk as a tea or coffee substitute. As a food, dandelions are more nutritious than even kale or spinach. They draw calcium, iron, manganese, magnesium, and potassium from deep in the earth into their leaves, which also contain high amounts of Vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. As an added bonus, the flowers can be fermented to make a tasty dandelion wine.
The plant has been widely used in herbal medicines since before Roman times. In fact, in Asia and in a number of other countries, dandelions are eaten regularly for their medicinal and for nutritional enhancements. Additionally, in the West, dandelions are finally beginning to regain their former prominence as a nutritious edible plant.
Why are dandelions so widely reviled in the United States? This animosity may have started in the 1950s. During the Great Depression and the War Years, many people ate dandelion greens because they were very nutritious — and freely available. But after the Second World War, dandelions became increasingly associated with poverty and hardship, which of course, made them unpopular.
A sea of useless green grass became a symbol of wealth, signalling that the landowner could afford to maintain unproductive land. This ideal grabbed American attention, transforming dandelions from a welcome food into an unwanted yellow blot on perfection, as well as signalling poverty, neglect and laziness. Advertising campaigns by herbicide companies and peer pressure in suburban communities to keep a tidy lawn sealed the deal.
But pollinating insects don’t see things this way at all. Dandelions are often the first wildflower to bloom after the snow melts, and thus, they are a critically important supply of nectar and pollen. Asking human property holders not to mow their lawns for the entire month of May is an easy way to help pollinating insects, particularly butterflies and bees, whose food is scarce in May. Further, killing these flowers by using chemicals, not only removes a vital food supply but also poisons these valuable insects, as well as pets and children.
How can the dandelion’s reputation be restored? One way could be to make the public aware of its importance to wild pollinators. Milkweed, which was maligned as a toxic weed up until a decade or so ago, is now increasing dramatically in popularity because of its association with migratory monarch butterflies, an Endangered species.
Mounting evidence of climate change is increasingly visible in the current insect apocalypse, as well as in species extinctions, biodiversity loss, toxic pollution, temperature and additional weather extremes, and other human-caused abuses and damages to the world around us. If we wish to survive our own damaging effects upon the planet, we simply must change how we interact with and live in the world.
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