The Dandelion in Colorado 
7 
The Blossom .—Blossoming of the dandelion may begin some¬ 
times as early as the middle of March, where plants are growing 
in sunny, protected spots. General blooming, however, is not usu¬ 
ally well under way until the latter part of April, while May is the 
month of profuse bloom. This 
is followed by a partial resting 
period of decreased blooming, 
although blossoms may be 
found at any time during the 
summer and until severe freez¬ 
ing occurs in late fall. The 
number of blossom heads pro¬ 
duced by one dandelion varies 
a good deal, depending upon 
the size and vigor of the plant. 
Small, stunted plants growing 
in dry parts of the lawn may 
produce only a single head at 
one time, while the large, 
thrifty clumps along roadsides 
and in the edges of gardens 
and fields may produce fifty or 
more at once. 
close to the earth as the sur¬ 
rounding vegetation will allow, 
Fig 4. Thrifty growth of new so that the flowers appear to 
rootlets and five sprouts from a one- 
iSt flo^'^e? pot'^o^^anT ^^st upon the ground, but in 
warm weather, and especially 
in moist, shady places, they may stand erect. When through 
blooming, and after the flower head has closed for the 
ripening of the seeds the stem bends downward so as to bring the 
head close to the ground, where it remains for several days. In 
this position these closed flower heads are better protected from 
The behavior of the flower 
heads from the time when 
they first open until the seeds 
are mature is interesting. The 
heads are borne upon hollow 
stalks which are from two to 
six inches or more in length. 
During cold or dry weather, 
these stalks bend down as 
