There's a bitter, violent war being waged against my favorite flower.  It's senseless. The minimal logic applied to this war is skewed.

Apparently I’m in love with the enemy.

My favorite flower is the first one to greet me each spring.  Its gold-crowned blossoms herald the return of sunny days.  The trees bud pale green, the grass begins bright new growth, the bulbs push up shoots, but my favorite flower is already in its full glory.  It’s the radiant yellow dandelion.

This is the flower that fills my many bud vases.  This is often the first colorful growth of spring. This is the flower that inspires young children to squeal with delight. Kids can't resist pulling up a handful of golden beauty to proudly present to their mommy…or to admire and chew on, depending on their age.

That brings me to another point about dandelions: they are edible and nutritious!  Every part of their anatomy, from petal to root, is packed with nourishment and offers various health benefits. Tea made from dandelion root is a known diuretic and urinary tract tonic.  The tender young leaves are wonderful as bitter greens in a salad; full of minerals, they are also used to aid digestion.  Dandelion wine is known for creating smiles.

Dandelion is the first crucial food of the bees each spring.  Bees must feed on dandelion blossoms before beginning their work of pollinating other plants, then making honey.  If we like honey, we have to make peace with dandelions. If we like any fruits or vegetables that require pollination, we have to make peace with dandelions.

Can this truly be the one flower people hate?

Organic gardeners appreciate the fact that dandelions bring minerals from deep in the earth up to the surface, enriching the topsoil.  When you see them populating a barren lot, they are in fact enriching that fallow soil!

I fantasize about dandelions being harvested by homeless people for free fresh salads.  Their example is marvelous: they provide food, medicine or beauty with every part of their being. They bloom profusely in barren lots or rocky soil, and they don't give up their important mission no matter how much we assault them.

I hear frequent tirades against dandelions from my neighbors.  Commercials on TV and in magazines tout ways to wipe them out of existence, portraying them as evil, sometimes criminal. They are the poster-flower target of the chemical herbicide industry.  Why does this fight against dandelions rage?  It is because people want control over their perfect patch of green lawn.

In my view, a lawn's beauty isn't complete until it is blessed with some bright yellow blossoms scattered in Nature's random pattern.  Sure, go ahead and pull some so that they don't take over. But by all means let a few yellow stars twinkle in the green skies of our lawns.  Poison them?  Never!  Keep in mind that poisoning our flowers is also poisoning the bees,  our birds who peck around the lawn, our pets who walk there, eventually poisoning our water table as well.

The next time you see a dandelion going to seed, take a moment to pick that perfect lacy globe.  Admire its perfection, its delicacy.  See the sun sparkle off its facets.  Then make a wish and blow!  Watch all those "fairies" floating on the breeze.   When they land, they won't be tainting your perfect landscape.  They will be planting a few more golden stars to brighten your life.  Enjoy them.