Rob Bergstresser was raised by a predominantly Pennsylvania Dutch family, and grew up eating the ethnicity’s traditional springtime dinner of ham and dandelion.

“As an adult, I tend to prefer it sautéed with some garlic and avocado oil, and there are many great recipes online,” he said of dandelion. “It’s a bit of a bitter taste, but when cooked right, it’s a very tasty green! Almost similar to arugula.”

As the environmental education specialist at Beltzville State Park, Bergstresser respects the plant for many reasons — from its history to its health benefits for humans, and for the important role it plays in supporting nature.

Dandelions, which can be easily spotted by the shape of their leaves and the bright yellow flowers they produce, typically begin to pop up early each spring.

“This is a plant native to Eurasia, so the colonists introduced it to North America, among other places throughout the world,” Bergstresser explained. “I know it has played a historical religious role in my Lutheran faith, dating back hundreds of years to the Old World, and those traditions were brought with them to the New World.”

Many Christians see the dandelion as a symbol of resilience, growth and the spread of the gospel.

Bergstresser said the plant has many health and medicinal benefits.

“It’s high in Vitamin A, C, potassium and iron. Because of its iron content, many people believe it’s a great detox plant, able to filter and clean your blood,” Bergstresser noted. “And there are many more medicinal benefits, some which I believe are highly likely, and others which might be a bit far-fetched.”

Not only is it a beneficial plant for people, it’s important for pollinators.

“It’s a good pollinator plant of early spring, but it’s not a vital pollinator plant. Bees could survive just fine in North America without dandelion. Remember, it’s not a native plant to our country,” Bergstresser said. “Many native plants are also starting to bloom around the same time as dandelion, providing a much better attractive source for our native pollinators.”

Even though they’re not a vital, he said dandelions still offer pollinators a good source of early food.

“Personally, I don’t usually mow my lawn until later in May, so the pollinators have a great start. So in a sense, by leaving the dandelion grow, you’re also allowing natives to grow, as well. My neighbors might look at my lawn in May and think I’m being lazy by not mowing it, but simply put, my lawn isn’t for show, it’s for function.”