Nyota holds the dandelion to her lips and uses her breath to perpetuate the species. “My father hated when I did that. He thought they were damn weeds.”

If only it were so easy to rebuild my own endangered species. It is a thing of great beauty and complexity. Each seed pod designed to ride the winds to spread genetic material far and wide. According to Sir Edward Salisbury's classic book Weeds and Aliens: Common Dandelion produces fruit-heads that contain up to 400 or more fruits, but the average is 180. (In one season it is) .. usually about 2000.