Are Dandelions Necessary for Spring Pollinators


dandelions pollinators

Dandelions!  One of the first flowers to emerge in Spring after a long winter.  Their yellow flowerheads are often a welcome sight to most if not all. And if you participate in native plant forums or social media, you probably have witnessed an argument or two as to whether dandelions are important or even necessary for pollinators. 

Well, I’m going to dive into that topic in this article. And in short, no dandelions are not necessary for native pollinators. Let me explain why.

Are dandelions good for pollinators?

At the most basic level, yes, dandelions are good for pollinators as they produce both pollen and nectar[1].  They feed dozens of species of native bee when they are blooming, especially among turfgrass[6].  There is no denying this fact. Let me state this in the most clear manner possible – Dandelions are more beneficial for pollinators than lawns or turfgrass.

bee dandelion

And this is what the basic online arguments revolve around – the fact that dandelions emerge very early in Spring, the question is are they necessary for native pollinators and their survival? They are of course are a source of pollen and nectar for bees and butterflies.  And that is 100% true!  In fact there are some moth and butterfly caterpillars that are even hosted by dandelions (these same caterpillars are hosted on other natives as well).  But are dandelions actually necessary for early Spring pollinators and should we protect them?  That is where it becomes a bit more complicated…

Where dandelions come from

The two main species of dandelion, Taraxacum officinale and Taraxacum erythrospermum are native to Eurasia but are found all over the world[2][3].  The ancient ancestors of these two species have been found in Belarus that are thought to be 1000 years old.  You see, these species were never in North America until the colonists showed up, possibly even when the Mayflower arrived in the early 1600’s. So, all pollinators native to North America survived without dandelions prior to European Colonists.

dandelion range
Range of Dandelions. Green is their native range and purple are countries/areas that they have invaded.

Ok, so if Dandelions had never been here prior the 1600’s, then why are they critical to pollinators survival?  Shouldn’t the pollinators all have died off when there were no dandelions around? Well, it turns out that there are other flowers providing pollen and nectar in early Spring, prior to the onset of many other garden flowers we are accustomed too.  And furthermore, most trees are producing flowers that can be pollinated by our loveable native bees.

So, how do we settle this?  Or how can we answer the question – are dandelions necessary?  I’m going to approach this in a systematic way to try to establish the basic facts.

  • When do bees start to emerge?
  • What flowers do they feed on?
  • When do they bloom, and where are they?
  • So, are dandelions necessasry?

When do bees emerge in Spring?

Bees begin to emerge in early Spring, as temperatures rise above 50F. For instance, roughly one-third of all native bees emerge between March and April where I live in Pennsylvania[4]. So, they don’t need flowers blooming in Winter as they are all hibernating underground and other places. But, when they do emerge, dandelions are also emerging….but is there anything else?

What flowers do the bees feed on?

Believe it or not, but the first flowers that produce nectar and pollen for bees aren’t on the ground, but are on trees[5]. For instance, the Red Maple is about the first flower to bloom in my area, and it happens to coincide when outdoor temperatures rise above 50F. And this example is a native tree, which has coevolved with pollinators native to my area.

But I don’t need to stop there, what other plants are flowering in very early Spring? Below is a table that bloom in very early Spring in my area (Pennsylvania). All of these will bloom from March to April, and coincide when bees and other insects begin to emerge. It is safe to say that these flowers ‘kick-off’ Spring by being the first natives to bloom.

FlowersFlowersFlowersTrees & Shrubs
HepeticaTrilliumDutchman’s BreechesRed Maple or Silver Maple
BloodrootVirginia SaxifrageButtercupService Berry
Virginia BluebellsTrout LilysViolets (Viola sp)Eastern Redbud
BluetsRue AnemoneSpring BeautyOak (Quercus sp)

So, the above listings all will provide nectar and pollen to bees. But the real workhorse would be the Maple trees, as a single tree will produce thousands of flowers.

Red Maple Flower
Red Maple flowers in Spring

But the fact that native bees are here at all is all the evidence one needs to conclude that you also have flowers blooming in early Spring, even if they are not all that noticeable. These bees didn’t magically appear along with dandelions, no, they have been here with native plants for thousands of years.

So, are dandelions necessary?

In short, dandelions are not necessary for the survival of native bees, in a general sense.  In most environments, other native plants will feed them in early Spring.  And many of these flowers are not always the most showy, while the trees that bloom often go unnoticed by most people.

So are dandelions good or bad?

When it comes to dandelions and feeding pollinators, one can make the argument that dandelions take up space that could be used by a native plant. Native plants feed all native bees (and some are for specialist pollinators), and native plants also host many other native insects. Dandelions, by providing pollen and nectar can feed many native pollinators, and while they do in fact host some caterpillars, it won’t provide the same level of diversity that other natives would.

pollinator dandelion

Does that mean you should remove all dandelions from your lawn?  Hardly.  You can keep them in your lawn. A dandelion is far more valuable to a pollinator than any patch of turf grass.  And if you are all about letting dandelions to grow in your lawn, perhaps you should consider growing some other native plants that can survive mowing. Natives such as Self-heal, Spring Beauty, or Wild Violet all can grow in your lawn and survive. Heck, I’ve even had a couple specimens of Winecups survive mowing!

Now, you may be yelling at your screen that you don’t have any other flowers blooming in your area, and that only the dandelion can fill the gap until late Spring.  Well, if that is how you feel, who am I to tell you no?  I haven’t surveyed your yard, neighbors, ditches, roadsides, or any possible nearby forests.  Is the fact that you have dandelions blooming going to harm anything?  Well, probably not, but there is an argument that the land that dandelions grow on could be better served by growing a native plant.  And even if you removed all dandelions from your yard, it is very likely that they will be growing in a neighbors yard, roadside, or an abandoned lot.  So in all likelihood, those pollinators will probably be fine anyway as dandelions are just about the most prolific plant in the world.

Review

Ok, so what have we established.

  • Most native bees emerge in early Spring, once outdoor temperatures begin rising above 50F during the day. This is when dandelions are starting to bloom.
  • At the same time, flowers from many native flowers and trees are blooming, which have traditionally fed the native bees
  • Dandelions, although not native, can provide pollen and nectar to those bees, possibly as well as the native plants, which they evolved.
  • In short, dandelions are not necessary for the native bee survival, at least not in a general sense. However, dandelions are valuable to pollinators
  • But if they are just growing in someone’s lawn, are they causing a problem?  Well, don’t ask the lawn gurus that.  But really, do they hurt anything other than aesthetics?  No. In fact there is a strong argument that it would be better to grow dandelions over native turf grass.

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References:

[1] – Common Dandelion Fact Sheet, University of Maine Extension. Accessed 20JAN2025.

[2] – Taraxacum officinale F.H.Wigg., USDA NRCS. Accessed 11JUL2024.

[3] – Taraxacum erythrospermum Andrz. ex Besser. USDA NRCS. Accessed 12JUL2024

[4] – When do they emerge – Margarita López-Uribe, Spring Bees: Who Are They and Where Do They Live?, Penn State Extension. Accessed 16JAN2024

[5] – Batra, S. W. T. “Red maple (Acer rubrum L.), an important early spring food resource for honey bees and other insects.” Journal of the Kansas entomological Society (1985): 169-172.

[6] – Larson, Jonathan L., Adam J. Kesheimer, and Daniel A. Potter. “Pollinator assemblages on dandelions and white clover in urban and suburban lawns.” Journal of Insect Conservation 18 (2014): 863-873.

Joe Foster

Hi - I grew up outdoors in nature - hiking, fishing, hunting. In high school I got my first job at a garden center where I learned to garden and landscape. I've been growing plants from seed and designing native plant gardens for over 10 years. I hope to share some of my knowledge with you! You may have seen some of my videos I create on our YouTube channel, GrowitBuildit (more than 10 million views!). You can find my channel here: https://youtube.com/@growitbuildit Additionally I am a wood worker / DIY enthusiast. I enjoy designing/building projects (with hand tools when I can!). I hope to give you some tips and useful information!

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