Love them or hate them these pretty little yellow flowers will always be around especially at this time of the year. This very valuable source of nectar and pollen is just what the local wildlife needs. Perhaps the old saying that a weed is a flower that is growing in the wrong place is never more true than in the case of the dandelion. Someone who loves these flowers is Adrian Thomas as he explains in his article which I found on the RSPB website.

I know how to pick my challenges! Yes, I’m going to attempt to blow the trumpet of a plant that is the sworn enemy for some people who strive for the perfect lawn – the dandelion. Those rosettes of tooth-edged leaves that evade the mower’s blades; that deep tap root that refuses to be eradicated – some of you may be shuddering at the very thought.
But I love them, and last weekend I grabbed some photos which reveal some of the wildlife that also thinks they’re marvellous.
At this time of year, these little drops of sunshine scattered through the grass are a very valuable source of nectar and pollen. In fact, they’re stuffed with it.
It means that many types of solitary bee wander happily from flower to flower, such as this rather small species (I won’t attempt to put a name to it)…

…or this rather larger Andrena mining bee (probably Grey-patched Mining Bee, a widespread species that breeds in sloping lawns).

See more at RSPB