Are dandelions taking over Britain?

[AngelicaElizaAndPeggy]

Is it just me, or are there billions of them, everywhere? Is it because it's been such a dry and cold spring? I don't remember this happening last year as much!
While we were driving past whole fields of them yesterday, my daughter decided that the collective noun for the flowers is a Roar and for the clocks a Tick Tock. I love this!

we use 30% of the country’s water supply to keep them green

Do we now? Do you have a link?

I've never once in my life watered my lawn. It gets plenty of rainwater most of the year, and when it doesn't, it still survives. In fact, a big bonus of a period of low rainfall is that the grass barely grows and doesn't need cutting. It's shot up in the last couple of weeks as it's been warm and rainy, so optimum conditions for making the grass grow.

If I make it to the end of the month of No Mow May, it's going to be about a foot high and impossible to deal with, despite cutting it on about the 6th May (only the second time this year and well overdue so had to be done but was waiting for a rare dry day when I had time to do it).

@BarbaraofSeville wow really, we've not mowed our lawn since April and it still looks relatively short. Very claggy clay soil (no dandelions!)

It's even worse around the edges because I was too lazy to get the strimmer out.

If there was money in dandelions, I'd be a rich woman. But the bees benefit, even if it is the been equivalent of McDonalds, instant noodles or whatever the bee food police (gotta love Mumsnet, they even pop up on a thread about bees and not cutting the grass) were objecting to.

I've seen the young leaves for sale in French supermarkets. Maybe we ought to be eating more of it.

@ConferencePear

I've seen the young leaves for sale in French supermarkets. Maybe we ought to be eating more of it.

My mum said she had a friend from an Italian family when she was a child, and they would be sent out to collect dandelion leaves for the salad if she was visiting at dinner time! It looks like rocket, and I imagine probably tastes like it, too.

As others have said, they are good for bees, so, go dandelions..

I have been cultivating them for years as I live them. Our back lawn also has lots of buttercups. I didn't realise it was no mow May, it will give me a good excuse not to get the mower out. I've always thought people were too hung up in perfect lawns

Very interesting Indoctro. So it's a diuretic, that's where the bed wetting thing comes from then?
It's such a shame we're so out of sync with nature now. These wild plants are all around us, can help us with our ailments and health and we just cut them down

@ChrisWitlessPatrickUnbalanced

(Sorry, off topic, but I love your username! ☺️)

So it's a diuretic, that's where the bed wetting thing comes from then?

The French don't call it pis-en-lit for nothing !

I love a field or lawn full of dandelions and daisies. Beautiful.

@ConferencePear

So it's a diuretic, that's where the bed wetting thing comes from then?

The French don't call it pis-en-lit for nothing !

Ha, every day's a school day.

(Sorry, off topic, but I love your username! ☺️)

Thanks 😊