Most people consider the dandelion a weed.
However, in my book, it is a herb and a very valuable one too.
The flower, apart from being really beautiful, is also very sensitive to the weather and will close the petals if rain is coming - it also closes at night - but when the sun shines, it opens up to all its glory and spreads its leaves out too.
Insects love this flower - especially the bees and it is one of the first flowers that the bee visits in spring.
When the flower turns to seed, it is still beautiful - how many of you know about blowing the delicate seeds off to see what the time is? - I did this as a child, every puff is counted to read the time.
However, this humble plant is so good for health - every part can be eaten - flowers stems and roots - they all are good for the health of your body.
The roots when dried can be ground down and used as coffee, the leaves can be added to salads or stir fried, or steeped to add to a glass of water for health.
The juice of the leaves can be applied three times a day to get rid of warts.
When using leaves for a salad, only use the new leaves as the older ones are bitter.
Always harvest the leaves in the morning - and the flowers when the weather is good.
The roots are best harvested in autumn.
Dandelion wine is delicious and good for you.
The name comes from the fact that the leaves resemble the teeth of a lion.