Hundreds of years ago, no dandelions (蒲公英) grew in North America. Then people came from Europe. The seeds fell from their clothes onto the ground. Since then, dandelions have spread all over.
Most people believe that dandelions are weeds (杂草). They do not want them in their gardens. But some people think that dandelion flowers are pretty. They cook dandelion leaves or put them into a fresh salad. The leaves must be picked before the flowers come out or they will not taste good.
Dandelions do not die easily. If the winter is not very cold, their leaves may stay green. When spring arrives, their flowers come out.When the sun shines the next day, they open up again. Dandelion flowers are very unusual. They do not have to get pollen (花粉) from another dandelion flower in order to form seeds. So after several days, the yellow flower turns white and soft. A tiny brown seed forms at the bottom of each white petal (花瓣). When the wind blows, the petals float away. Each white petal carries a seed away. New dandelions grow where the seeds land.
| A. And others think that dandelions taste good. B. They had dandelion seeds on their clothes. C. Each night their bright yellow flowers close up. D. This lets the dandelions spread their seeds all over. E. Some people make dandelion flowers into wine. |
