DANDELIONS: PURE GOLD
TheMondayGarden.com, Eco-gardening at its best
March 27, 2006 Issue 199
updates issue 58 (May 6, 2003)
When I was much younger and closer to the ground, sunny dandelions and their downy seed heads were all-purpose toys, provided that one avoided the "nasty" white sap, which turned into a stubborn brown, bitter-tasting stain on the hands. Today, in Connecticut, just before the first spring mowing, fields of dandelions still invite a carefree romp.
PICTURE: Stamford CT's Cove Island, May 2003 where our Parks Department recognizes the value of a "natural" lawn.
Some Americans are waging backyard chemical warfare on dandelions in the name of pristine lawns. (After, all, isn't it better to release chemicals into the environmental that might cause lymphoma and breast cancer, not to mention poisoning the dog, than to suffer the lasting public shame of a weedy lawn?)
We've forgotten that early European settlers intentionally brought dandelions to North America because they're pure gold. So put down the evil weed killer, Pandora, and listen up.