Best time to see: Apr to end Jun

Key facts

Low yellow flower followed by the familiar 'clock' of seeds, found in any grassy place and a pest in lawns

Long used as a diuretic and laxative, hence its common name 'wet-the-bed' or 'piss-the-bed'

Many insects collect nectar from dandelions, and finches eat the seeds

Extras

Golden-yellow flowers with a whorl of broadly toothed leaves at the base

Flowers all year, but especially April–June; some 200 micro-species have been recognised in Britain