Dandelions benefit pollinators by growing in cracks in the sidewalk and in barren lawns where beneficial native plant species could not grow. I consider them to be an important plant simply because they grow in ultra-hostile environments without being planted.
But they're not great food for pollinatorsāthey're survival food. And they fit into the pioneer species niche, meaning part of their "job" is to prepare the soil for other plants.
If the ONLY thing you can do is let the dandelions grow instead of killing them, that is good!
However, many of our native insects in North America will only feed from specific flowers, and in general, butterflies and moths need specific native plants to raise caterpillars on. (For Monarchs, that's Milkweeds, for fritillaries, violets; the Zebra Swallowtail caterpillars can ONLY eat pawpaw leaves, and I forget which butterfly or moth it is, but there's one whose caterpillars ONLY eat Black Cohosh.) Insects that depend on a particular plant are called specialists, and there's a TON of them.
For many of our 11,000+ moth species, the host plant for the caterpillars is not even known to science yet! Maybe you will discover it?
Some of the most highly beneficial North American native plants for pollinators are milkweeds and goldenrods. Particularly, goldenrods have 43 specialist bee species that feed only on goldenrods.
Keep in mind that many native plants like Yarrow, Virginia Springbeauty, and violets can coexist in a lawn very nicely, without needing any extra care. Virginia Springbeauty blooms before lawn mowing season even starts and then dies off until next spring.
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