SPARE THE DANDELIONS, They are an important source of food for bees and pollinators

Before you mow your dandelions, consider how food options for pollinators are scarce in early spring.  Before May, when other flowers bloom, those sunny little flowers are a very important source of pollen for bees. Dandelion pollen is nutritious and the nectar is abundant - it gives bees a huge boost and adds to the health and wellbeing of the hive. So a very simple, easy way to help honey bees thrive is to refrain from killing the dandelions in your lawn.

The word dandelion comes from the French version “dent de lion” which means Lion’s tooth and refers to the toothed appearance of a plant’s leaves.  Dent de lions evolved about 30 million years ago. Evidence of their early existence has been found in many parts of the world. Their seeds may have come to North American on the Mayflower with European colonists.  Irish Daisy is another word for Dandelions.  They weren’t always considered an obnoxious, defiant weed that required copious amounts of pesticides to eradicate. Instead, there were times in history when people actually dug up grass in order to make more space for dandelions.  They were that precious!

 A perfect lawn is a desert to bees and other pollinators.  Another simple addition to your lawn is to consider sewing some Clover.  Clover is a great source of nectar for bees and pollinator and the white and purple flowers are pretty!  Just mow your lawn when the flowers are done and let everything regenerate again.  With a little work, your lawn can be pretty and productive!

If you are interested in planting other flowers for pollinators in your garden, we recommend going to the David Suzuki website.  They have some great tips and a complete list of plants for pollinators..  Here is a link to their website David Suzuki Foundation.