Ode to a Dandelion

"Roses are red,

Violets are blue;
But they don't get around
Like the dandelions do."
-Slim Acres

The County Line is no Botanica, but I do have exotic plants in my yard.

They are called dandelions.

"Dandelions are among the toughest and most adaptable exotic species of plants."

University of Missouri Extension Specialist Patrick Byers
in the May High Plains Journal

I'm sure they will want to sign me up for Stafford's Garden Tour this weekend. My yard is full of exotic plants.

The dandelion is the "most under-appreciated plant in our yards," Byers said.

"Dandelions are native to Europe, and are not native to North America. Dandelions came over with the earliest settlers, probably as seeds mixed in with bedding for animals or with other seeds brought over for planting."

Sure, those flowers at Botanica were beautiful. But there's a simple beauty in the intricate white "bloom" that decorates ditches and, yes, our yard.

They are a marvel in "engineering." Each seed head may contain up to 300 seeds that are windblown.

Dandelions can be used for salads, to make a tea or to make dandelion wine. I won't be doing any of those things.

But I can take pictures of my exotic plants.

You just have to admire their tenacity. Somehow I don't have trouble keeping dandelions alive. If only that were true for tomato and pepper plants.