The Truth About Dandelions with Host Stephanie Barelman

The Truth About DandelionsEpisode IntroductionIn today's episode, The Truth About Dandelions, we discuss what it means for a plant to be useful, what bees really want in their bento box, and resources for you to grow a rebellious garden year-round that humans and wildlife can enjoy. Host Stephanie BarelmanStephanie Barelman is the founder of the Bellevue Native Plant Society, a midwest motivational speaker surrounding the native plants dialog, and host of the Plant Native Nebraska Podcast.Episode SponsorsToday's episode is sponsored by:Lauritzen Gardenslaurtizengardens.orgListen, rate, and subscribe!Get some merch! https://plant-native-nebraska.myspreadshop.com/Find us on FacebookVisit our homepage https://plant-native-nebraska.captivate.fmGive us a review on Podchaser! www.podchaser.com/PlantNativeNebraskaSupport My Work via PatreonThe Plant Native Nebraska podcast can be found on the podcast app of your choice.Episode ContentDandelions: Public Enemy #1 Vs. Freedom Fighter? Our parents (I'm looking at you, boomers) and their parents bought in to the idea of pristine and high-maintenance landscapes and dandelions look like a rebellious boy on a motor-bike. What Dandelions and Native Plants Have in CommonBoth native and non-native plants can be judged for being unruly and not conforming to societal expectations for perfect, tidy landscapes. But in aspiring to have native-plant forward gardens, we try to rely less on ideal aesthetics and more on what is wholesome for wildlife but also, sustainable.Respect What's Native Where It's Native While Also Acknowledging Naturalized Plants Can Have Useful Qualities. What's native will change where you go. It varies across the U.S. and across the globe. There's a strong benefit to planting locally historical plants but that doesn't mean we need to demonize all non-native plants. One-size-fits all never really lives up to its name, does it? A Little Backstory on the DandelionThe Dandelion, Taraxacum officinale, is native to Europe and Asia and is a true herb of antiquity. So for those of you who might not know, it’s not native. Ancient Medical Has been hailed for its many medicinal uses including problems with the bladder, liver, and stomach.Culinary WonderEvery part of the plant is edible, which is unique for most plants. We’re talking salads, cooked greens, edible flowers, teas, wine. Indigenous UseThe Iroquois tribe alone used it for pain relief, to treat dropsy, digestive and urinary problems, and lung inflammation, among other things. Many other tribes learned its usefulness quickly. Do Bees Need Dandelions?No, while generalists may browse them year-round( long bloom time,) generalists use whatever sources are available. There are other more nutritious foods and there are foods that cater to all bees, not just the generalists. Don’t Dandelions Bloom Before Everything Else? Only if all you have is brome or Kentucky bluegrass. Early-Blooming Natives for ShadeBloodrootJacob’s LadderSpring BeautyCommon VioletEarly-Blooming Natives for SunPrairie Smoke *regional nativeSpiderwortPasque FlowerGolden AlexanderField PussytoesCanada AnemoneVirginia WaterleafPenstemon *native and regionally native species Wild GeraniumNative Trees for Early Bee Nutrition American BladdernutOhio BuckeyeDowny Serviceberry Eastern RedbudChokecherryPowerhouse Natives for Bees Year-RoundNative SunflowersAstersGoldenrodsMilkweedsMountain MintsYarrow (our native species)Coneflowers (Echinacea and Ratibida species)Verbena StrictaNutritious Trees and Shrubs DogwoodSumacElderberryNative ViburnumsButtonbushKnow Your Stuff If you care about bees, there is a lot of really great literature out there right now by Heather Holm, the Xerces Society, Pollinator Partnership, and other experts and organizations. Heather Holm Bees: An Identification and Native Forage Guide Heather's Free Resources: https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.com/resources.htmlTwo handouts through The Xerces Society: "Bumble Bee Conservation"https://www.xerces.org/publications/brochures/bumble-bee-conservation "Native Plants for Pollinators and Beneficial Insects: Northern Plains" https://www.xerces.org/sites/default/files/publications/22-027_01_NPPBI—NorthernPlains_web.pdf The Xerces Society books: Attracting Native Pollinators 100 Plants to Feed the BeesPollinator Partnership has a Prairie Parkland Planting Guide: https://pollinator.org/PDFs/Guides/PrairieParklandrx12FINAL.pdfIf you don't keep itCompost it Make wine out of it Make salad out of it Make other food with itCool links:https://foragerchef.com/category/wild-green-recipes/dandelions/https://foragerchef.com/guide-to-dandelions-harvesting-and-cooking/https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-make-dandelion-wine-1327932Our source for historical indigenous use: Daniel Moerman's Native American EthnobotanyAdditional content related to this episode:What makes a plant native?http://bonap.net/fieldmaps Biota of North America North American Plant Atlas database-select Nebraskahttps://bellevuenativeplants.org Bellevue Native Plant Societynative (wild type) vs. nativar/native cultivar (cultivated by humans for desirable characteristics)On the WebBONAP aforementionedBNPS aforementionedhttp://www.facebook.com/groups/bellevuenativeplantsociety- BNPS on FacebookBooks & AuthorsRick Darke- The Living LandscapeDouglas Tallamy- Professor and Chair of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Entomology at the University of Delaware, author of The Living Landscape, Nature's Best Hope, naturalist, and curator of "Homegrown National Park". Enrique Salmon- Iwigara Daniel Moerman -Native American EthnobotanyHeather Holm- https://www.pollinatorsnativeplants.comNative Plants of the MidwestPlanting in a Post-Wild WorldJon Farrar's Field Guide to Wildflowers of Nebraska Additional ResourcesNSA at https://www.plantnebraska.org great articles and...