5mo ago

respect dandelions!

54 comments

Americans be talking about "non-native" plants on the world wide web
Anyone whose ever made dandelion wine knows that they WILL fuck you.
- A friend’s dad made this and we stole some as teens.
  He wasn’t mad, he knew we learned a lesson.
  
  I’m pretty sure that’s the only reason my great uncle used to make fortified tomato wine. I wasn’t around for it, but it seems to have exclusively been drunk by his kids, to their great regret. He could always tell by the uncontrollable retching
  
  What's the deal with dandelion wine? Is it really strong, or just an intense flavor?
- But not in a good way.
- What was it like?
- Off-topic but I heard second-hand that smoking camomile hits very hard.
I thought dandelions were now recognized as not a great food source for bees
We converted most of our yard into a native wildflower garden and I see a lot of bees these days. We also get fireflies in the summer now.
- This! Dandelion pollen does not contain all the amino acids necessary to support native bees. However, because they come up first and bees often become attracted to the first things they feed on, they can actually make bees addicted to them. Because they can’t meet their nutritional requirements with them, they die.
  Plant native plants people!
  
  Plant native plants people!
  Supposedly they may be native.
  https://midwest.social/comment/17680677
  
  Native where?
Dandelions are now basically considered native around most of the globe. There is compelling evidence both ethnobotany and genetic that dandelion are native to both Eurasia and North America.
- Wait, what? Expand on this.
  
  The gist from what I have read (mostly from Native American herbalists) is that there is a oral cultural tradition for using dandelion for both food and medicine in North America. These oral traditions have various uses for the plant that likely predate European settlement. The basic concept is that Europeans never considered that a plant that they had in Europe could appear in North America unless they brought it. It was never considered to be native in both places even though the people who used in North America have a long tradition of use back by an oral tradition. However, since this was an oral tradition no one thought to consider it valid since it wasn't written down. Since this has been suggested there is some genetic studies that back up that concept.
  I found most of this information on the Dandelion section in Plants Have So Much to Give Us, All We Have to Do Is Ask: Anishinaabe Botanical Teachings. They have a good description and I have seen it mentioned now in a few other books.
  
  And to expand on what the other commenter said, considering the logical side of it, those seeds seem very optimized to ride air currents around the entire hemisphere, especially when there's a storm that can get them very high up.
Best gardening definition I have heard:
if it grows and you didn't want to, it's a weed
if it doesn't grow and you wanted it to, it's a flower
- What are the other two called?
  If it grows and you wanted it to
  If it doesn't grow and you didn't want it to
  
  A “success” and “not a problem”
I was in my teens before I discovered that "weed" just meant "plant you don't want." There is not really a biological definition of weed. Anything is a weed if you don't want it there.
- therefore, it is impossible to grow a weed intentionally.
Dandelions are the only plant that spreads using children wishes
- 🥰
  
  perfect username ♥️
Like bears but more athletic?
We planted redflower currant and the bees and bumblebees love the shit out of that. Also much prettier than dandelions. Redflower currant is the plant you want to fuck, dandelion is the one you have a chance with.
- Isn’t red flower currant is a type of shrub with berries?
  
  A shrubbery?
- That’s a whole ass bush though, totally different thing
  
  whole ass-bush
Now if only my city would agree with that instead of sending a citation for having an overgrown yard
The other day I saw a rabbit eating dandelions from my yard it was very cute
I just mowed (parts of) my lawn. Left some clumps of different wildflowers standing, dandelions included.
I'm glad my neighbourhood does not have a Lawn Enforcement Agency.
I challenge the best gardener or botanist to grow weeds.
you think it's easy, but in practice, it's impossible
there are a ton of less PITA pollinators than dandelions
there is a pollinator 'round here that competes with the dandelion that is very dandelion like but actually houses native butterfly cocoons
so the dandelions get ripped up round here
- you mean milkweed, it has to be native milkweed, otherwise the ornamental ones, usually the tropical ones can do more harm than good.
they're very yummy in teas! I'm actually currently sipping a "s'mores" flavored tea that uses roasted dandelion root, I find it quite nice.
- Dandelion leaves (blanched) are good in salads and pestos.
I am entirely over 'blank won't fuck you' as a response to shit. It's cliched and trite and kills a conversation.
In my garden the dandelions turned out to be Sowthistle. Which should be handy if any hungry sows show up on my second-floor apartment balcony.
- theres alot of dandelion look alike species growing here too.
I'm mildly allergic so yeah they will fuck me up.
If I'm in an enclosed space with one (e.g. car) I'll start a sneezing fit. And I assume if I eat one my mouth will itch or swell (not even gonna attempt it).
♪ toss a coin to your witcher ♪
Mettic is just pissed the dandelions think hes lame.

54 comments