Are delicious right now in the Northern hemisphere. My yard is completely natural, with no memory of pesticides (a wild jungle!), so I gather the leaves of baby dandelions, clean them and eat them. The smallest make a nice salad, with a refreshing tang. The slightly larger ones I parboil and then fry with garlic and olive oil.
Your mileage might differ.
The roots of dandelions can be roasted to make a coffee substitute if you are that way inclined. The yellow flowers themselves can be picked, with the stems attached, and then woven into a crown or a necklace. The white seed-heads are among the most beautiful shapes in nature.
Did that make you feel better about the incredible virility of dandelions and their ability to overtake any bare patch of soil they see, including your flower and vegetable beds?
Here's an old embroidery of mine. The flowers are not dandelions but you can pretend they are, so that the next time you walk outside you will feel yourselves observed.
