Are Dandelions Good For Birds?

The other day, I had a neighbor stop by and, obviously triggered by the numerous patches of dandelions in my yard, a conversation soon started about how beneficial they are for early-season pollinators, such as bees, bumblebees, and butterflies.

I mentioned how the dandelions are allowed to grow and even spread in my yard, giving the pollinators a source of food this early in the year when nothing else is in bloom.

This particular spring has certainly been no exception to the topic of our conversation, as the yard and pasture have been full of bees and butterflies coming to my endless sea of early blooming dandelions.

But when I mentioned that dandelions are also very beneficial for birds, my neighbor was intrigued to learn how birds also benefited from dandelions growing in my yard.

Simply put, a variety of birds will eat the dandelion seeds after the plant has finished blooming and gone to seed, standing there as white puffed balls while they await the wind to carry the tiny seeds to a new location.

Over the past several years, I have personally witnessed house and Cassin’s finches, American and lesser goldfinches, pine siskins, and white-crowned sparrows feeding on dandelion seeds in my yard, and this phenomenon is the sole reason why I purposely mow around any moderately and large-sized patches of dandelions and let them go to seed after they have bloomed.

Dandelions are one of the earliest plants to bloom and one of the first plants to go to seed, offering an early-season source of food for both birds and pollinators when not much else is available during late March, April, and early May.

In fact, with the very dry and unseasonably warm winter and spring we are having in this part of the country, I’ve had dandelions blooming and bees and butterflies feeding on them since mid-March, something that is quite unusual for this time of year in my neck of the woods.

And now, in late April, as it were, most of the dandelions have finished blooming and gone to seed already, standing in large patches all over my lawn and pasture with their seed puffs readily available as a good source of food for the numerous song birds that nest in my trees.

I never put out herbicides in my yard or mow these spots until after the seeds have fallen from the plant, giving the dandelions the opportunity to not only feed the bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and birds on my property but a chance to spread and offer more food next year during the time of season when not many, if any, actually, sources of food are available so early in the year.

Dandelions are often thought of as just another unsightly weed in the yard, causing many people to put down chemicals and sprays each year to eradicate them from the yard, but the truth is, dandelions offer food for birds, bees, and butterflies during a time of year when not much else is available.

I personally love seeing bees, bumblebees, butterflies, and especially birds in my yard feeding on dandelions, and I think the bright yellow blooms are also quite appealing, especially against a green background, so dandelions are here to stay in my yard because, quite honestly, I love what they feed and attract to my yard.

Admittedly, my property will never be the most perfectly groomed plot in the area, and that is a result of my great love for nature, especially when I can walk out my door and instantly enjoy birds and butterflies, like I did today, as a matter of fact, from leaving a few plants alone that naturally feed them with little or no effort on my part.

So, for me, at least, having a less-than-perfect yard just makes sense when it attracts wildlife so close to home that I can enjoy and photograph from just a few short steps out my back door.

If you are like me, someone who loves nature anywhere it can be found, I invite you to visit our subscribe page and sign up for email notifications for future blog posts about our love for nature, both at home and on the famous Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge.

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