Quercus

Common Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Not native to Kentucky

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Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

75CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including KY

Genus host records with ranges including KY · Taraxacum

  • Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
  • Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
  • Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
  • Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
  • Anicla illapsaSnowy Dart
  • Apantesis annaAnna Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis partheniceParthenice Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
Show all 75
  • Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
  • Apantesis vittataBanded Tiger Moth
  • Arctia parthenosSt. Lawrence Tiger Moth
  • Autographa precationisCommon Looper Moth
  • Cerastis tenebriferaReddish Speckled Dart
  • Choephora fungorumBent-Line Dart
  • Chytolita morbidalisMorbid Owlet
  • Clepsis persicanaWhite Triangle Tortrix
  • Diarsia jucundaSmaller Pinkish Dart
  • Elaphria chalcedoniaChalcedony Midget
  • Elaphria grataGrateful Midget
  • Estigmene acreaSalt Marsh Moth, Acrea Moth
  • Eupithecia miserulataCommon Eupithacia, Common Pug
  • Eusarca confusariaConfused Eusarca
  • Feltia jaculiferaDingy Cutworm
  • Feltia subterraneaSubterranean Dart, Granulate Cutworm
  • Homorthodes furfurataNorthern Scurfy Quaker
  • Hyalophora cecropiaCecropia Silkmoth, Cecropia Moth
  • Hypercompe scriboniaGiant Leopard Moth, Great Leopard Moth
  • Hyppa xylinoidesCommon Hyppa
  • Idaea furciferataNotch-Winged Wave
  • Idaea obfusariaRippled Wave
  • Lacanobia subjunctaSpeckled Arches, Subdues Arches, Harnessed Mamestra, Speckled Cutworm Moth, Grand Arches?(incorrectly)
  • Lacinipolia explicataExplicit Groundcat, Explicit Arches
  • Lacinipolia implicataImplicit Arches
  • Lacinipolia laudabilisLaudable Arches, Laudable Mamestra
  • Lacinipolia loreaBridled Arches, Bridle Groundcat
  • Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
  • Lacinipolia olivaceaOlive Arches, Olive Groundcat
  • Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
  • Leuconycta lepidulaMarble-Green Jaspidia, Marble-Green Leuconycta
  • Manduca quinquemaculatusFive-Spotted Hawkmoth, Tomato Hornworm
  • Megalographa bilobaBilobed Looper Moth
  • Melanchra adjunctaHitched Arches
  • Melanchra pictaPainted Arches, Zebra Caterpillar Moth
  • Nephelodes miniansBronzed Cutworm
  • Orgyia leucostigmaWhite-Marked Tussock Moth
  • Orthodes cynicaCynical Quaker, Cynical Groundcat
  • Orthodes detractaDisparaged Arches, Disparaged Groundcat
  • Orthodes majusculaRustic Quaker, Rustic Groundcat
  • Pagara simplexMouse-Colored Lichen Moth
  • Palthis angulalisDark-Spotted Palthis
  • Phalaenostola metonalisPale Epidelta, Pale Phalaenostola
  • Phlogophora irisOlive Angle Shades
  • Protolampra brunneicollisBrown-Collared Dart
  • Proxenus mirandaMiranda Moth, Glistening Rustic
  • Pseudohermonassa bicarneaPink-Spotted Dart
  • Pseudorthodes vecorsSmall Brown Quaker, Small Brown Groundcat
  • Pyrrharctia isabellaIsabella Tiger Moth, Banded Woolybear
  • Scopula cacuminariaFrosted Tan Wave
  • Scopula limboundataLarge Lace-Border
  • Spilosoma congruaAgreeable Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma latipennisPink-Legged Tiger Moth
  • Spilosoma virginicaVirginian Tiger Moth, Yellow Woolybear Moth, Yellow Bear
  • Spodoptera frugiperdaFall Armyworm Moth
  • Synchlora aerataWavy-Lined Emerald, Camouflaged Looper
  • Tricholita signataSignate Quaker, Signate Groundcat
  • Trichoplusia niNi Moth, Cabbage Looper Moth
  • Trichopolia oviducaRuddy Quaker
  • Virbia aurantiacaOrange Virbia, Orange Holomelina
  • Virbia ferruginosaRusty Holomelina, Rusty Virbia
  • Virbia laetaJoyful Virbia, Joyful Holomelina
  • Virbia opellaTawny Virbia, Tawny Holomelina
  • Xestia c-nigrumSpotted Cut-Worm, Setaceous Hebrew Character, Lesser Black-letter Dart
  • Xestia dolosaGreater Black-Letter Dart, Greater Spotted Cutworm
Shropshire & Tallamy 2025, Lepidoptera of North America north of Mexico, ZooKeys 1261 (ODbL)
—BeesSoutheastern regional records
5Specialist beesPollen specialists

Pollen specialists · Taraxacum

  • Andrena chromotricha
  • Andrena krigiana
  • Colletes rufocinctus
  • Protandrena aestivalis
  • Protandrena piercei
Smith, Bachelder, Russell, Morales, Mosher & Seltmann 2024, Bee-Specialization-Modeling v0.6.1 (specialist host table compiled from J. Fowler's pollen specialist bee lists), Zenodo, CC BY 4.0
12BirdsRecorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim

Recorded genus food-resource interactions; not a state feeding claim · Taraxacum

  • Bonasa umbellusRuffed Grouse
  • Branta canadensisCanada Goose
  • Callipepla californicaCalifornia Quail
  • Centrocercus urophasianusGreater Sage-Grouse
  • Dendragapus obscurusDusky Grouse
  • Falcipennis canadensisSpruce Grouse
  • Meleagris gallopavoWild Turkey
  • Perdix perdixGray Partridge
  • Pinicola enucleatorPine Grosbeak
  • Turdus migratoriusAmerican Robin
Show all 12
  • Tympanuchus phasianellusSharp-tailed Grouse
  • Tyrannus tyrannusEastern Kingbird
Hurlbert, Olsen, Sawyer & Winner 2021, Avian Diet Database, Scientific Data 8: 260 (CC0)
Growing and identification

Plant details

Family
Asteraceae
Flower color
Yellow
Growth rate
Rapid
Growth habit
Single crown
Foliage color
Green
Fruit begins
Spring
Fruit ends
Summer

Safety has not been reviewed for this plant; check toxicity and thorns before planting.

Growing sources and scope
Also known as

Common Dandelion

Conservation status

Kentucky rankNot available
Global rankG5
KY statusNot verified
Federal statusNot verified

Conservation source Global and federal source

Sources