Why is it that some flowers are seen as beautiful yet others a pest? One that seems to offend people the most is our native wildflower, the dandelion. A beautiful, sunny flower, much hated by gardeners even in patches where the similarly looking marigold is loved.

The other day, I witnessed someone taking all the flowering heads off dandelions in a lawn. My heart sank as they explained what they were doing. It felt like a mini act of ecocide, which you may think is a bit over the top but the Earth is suffering an insect apocalypse and dandelions are favoured by many pollinators, often being the first food after hibernation.

In fact, dandelions produce up to 90 per cent of the available nectar in early spring grasslands. The pollinating insects that rely on them are part of our web of life.

We are dependent on them to pollinate much of our food but are destroying their food and habitat causing them to decline at alarming rates. Our gardens could be their sanctuaries, joined up mini nature reserves, for in Britain gardens cover an area bigger than all the nature reserves combined, around 10 million acres.

It’s easy to do this, for really you don't need to do anything just let the wild plants grow: the dandelions and daisies, the celandine, thistles, brambles and forget-me-nots for if you do nothing their seeds will spread and do all the work for you. We have these wild plants growing on patches across Exmouth and if we let them they could become an almost unbroken corridor of food and habitat.

You will also be completely on trend as four of the show gardens at this year’s Chelsea Flower Show will include weeds, as horticulturists move to rebrand them as “resilient plants”.

Now is the perfect time to start this transformation as No Mow May, an awareness raising campaign, is encouraging everyone to leave their lawnmower alone for a month and let the wild plants grow. This can apply to residents, businesses, schools etc.

In fact, EDDC have assigned over 85 greenspaces this year where a No-Mow approach will take place between April and September, look out for the “Let it Grow” signs.

This will benefit not only insects but the birds and mammals who feed on them. As for the humans maybe they could learn to love, as I have, these wild plants, even the gardeners among us for dandelions are actually a gardener’s friend, only growing where the soil needs their help.

When soil is too compact the dandelion roots will loosen it. If there is too little calcium it will be replenished once the dandelion leaves die. If the soil is too acidic, you’ve guessed it, dandelions will improve this for you too! In fact dandelions grow where other plants cannot and then create the conditions for other plants to grow. If you try to remove a dandelion, it will actually return back stronger, just until your soil is improved then it will make way for other plants.

Another reason to love them is that it’s not just the bumble bees who enjoy their nectar and the tiger moths who love their leaves humans can eat them too! All parts of a dandelion (the leaves, roots and flowers) are edible (make sure you are 100 per cent certain in identifying them before you start chomping).

Personally, I tend to eat the leaves, I pick the small, young ones as they are less bitter, and I mix them into a salad. It’s best to leave the dandelion flowers until the end of May for the insects who need them the most. But then, dandelion fritters anyone?

Information sourced from: The Guardian, Animal Compassion Everywhere, EDDC and Fairy Land Trust.

To find out more about eating dandelions see Tip 17 in my ebook “52 Tips To Reduce Waste”, www.rhubarbandrunnerbeans.co.uk (pay what you can from £1 - £5)