The competitive yet beneficial nature of dandelions

Hello, I’m Amanda McNulty with Clemson Extension and Making It Grow. The Alaska Natural Heritage Program has documented which animals eat dandelion leaves, and it’s a long list. Bears, deer, elk, grouse, and even big horned sheep are glad to find these early spring emergers. One picture they posted had a carpet of these plants, so animals could actually consume lots in one spot. We do have a few native dandelions, but they can’t compete with the introduced ones; in some places it’s considered a real pest, as it takes over places that have been disturbed and crowds out native plants. It even competes with seedlings from conifers! But this thug-like behavior is also appreciated, as dandelions can germinate in almost any open sunny spot and stabilize areas after fires or mining; and its thick, long taproot opens to soil to moisture for other plants.