How dandelions conquered concrete to bring nature back to cities

By Yannick Woudstra, Postdoctoral Researcher in Asexual Plant Evolution, Stockholm University

“Nothing is so uncommon as a common dandelion” say Karst Meijer and Erik van den Ham, Dutch botanists who started an international day (April 27) to celebrate this yellow flower in 2020. The pair hoped to showcase the immense diversity and fascinating ecology of dandelions, which are often maligned as noxious weeds.

Intensive farming and weeding have drastically diminished dandelions in the Dutch countryside. Insects, many of whom feed on the pollen and nectar of these plants, have been the first to suffer. Between 1990 and 2017, Dutch protected areas reported a

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