Common Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Found in lawns, roadsides, urban areas, pastures, disturbed areas, trailsides, less commonly in a variety of less disturbed habitats. Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Northern Tier edition What its natural habitat tells you

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Not native

Not native to Virginia. How scores work Is it native here?

Profile 76%

Height: 2–6 inches
Light: Full sun
Soil moisture: Dry to moist

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Downy Yellow Violet
Viola pubescens
Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Partial shade. Soil: Somewhat dry to moist. Flowers: Yellow or orange.
Similar growth form, evergreen or deciduous, soil moisture
Hooded Blue Violet
Viola sororia
Sun: Dappled sunlight, Deep shade, Full sun, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: Blue, pink, purple or white.
Similar growth form, evergreen or deciduous, light
Sweet White Violet
Viola blanda
Sun: Dappled sunlight, Partial shade. Soil: Usually moist. Flowers: White.
Similar growth form, height, evergreen or deciduous

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At a glance

Life cycle: Perennial
Bloom: January to December
Fruiting season: Spring to summer

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Not yet recorded · Spread · Leaves

Recorded in 105 Virginia counties.

Natural habitats

Places it grows wild. Not a planting requirement. Each habitat page lists the plants and wildlife also found there.

Roadsides, fields and disturbed ground

Ground opened by people: roadsides, old fields, pastures, fencerows and lots.

All habitats

Ecological relationships

Who uses this plant?

What these records mean

82CaterpillarsGenus host records with ranges including VA

Genus host records with ranges including VA · Taraxacum

Abagrotis magnicupidaOne-Dotted Dart
Agnorisma badinodisPale-Banded Dart
Agrotis vetustaOld Man Dart
Anagrapha falciferaCelery Looper Moth
Anicla illapsaSnowy Dart
Apamea sordensBordered Apamea, Rustic Shoulder-Knot
Apantesis annaAnna Tiger Moth
Apantesis argeArge Tiger Moth
Apantesis naisNais Tiger Moth
Apantesis partheniceParthenice Tiger Moth

Show all 82

Apantesis phalerataHarnessed Moth
Apantesis placentiaPlacentia Tiger Moth
Apantesis virgoVirgin Tiger Moth
Apantesis virgunculaLittle 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 lustralisLustral "Mamestra"
Lacinipolia meditataThe Thinker
Lacinipolia olivaceaOlive Arches, Olive Groundcat
Lacinipolia renigeraBristly Ground Cat, Bristly Cutworm Moth, Kidney Spotted "Mamestra"
Lacinipolia vicinaAllied Mamestra, Neighborly Arches
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
Sideridis roseaThe Rosewing
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
Xanthorhoe ferrugataRed Twin-Spot, Twin-Spot Carpet
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)

Direct food only: birds recorded eating this genus across North America. Caterpillars on host plants also feed nesting birds. NC Native Plant Society: butterfly gardening

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

Bloom · “January to December” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition (ranked first; USDA PLANTS differs) · Carolinas and Georgia
Flower color · “Yellow” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Foliage color · “Green” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit begins · “Spring” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Fruit ends · “Summer” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth habit · “Single crown” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Growth rate · “Rapid” · USDA PLANTS · Nationwide species characteristics; local growing conditions may vary
Height · “2–6 inches” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox (ranked first; USDA PLANTS, Minnesota Wildflowers differ)
Life cycle · “Perennial” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
Light · “Full sun (6 or more hours of direct sunlight a day)” · NC Extension Plant Toolbox
primary_flower_color · “yellow” · USDA PLANTS
Soil · “Dry; Moist (documented habitat)” · Weakley, Flora of the Southeastern United States (2025), Carolinas & Georgia edition · Carolinas and Georgia

Conservation status

Virginia rank	SNA
Global rank	G5
VA status	Not verified
Federal status	Not verified

Conservation source Global and federal source