It’s possible to have too much of a good thing. Dandelions may be tasty, but too many are toxic. The latex is rich in taraxasterol which is poisonous. Rich in oxalate, they inhibit the absorption of minerals. Other animals might like to eat dandelions, but too many are toxic. I don’t believe it’s a good idea to broadcast herbicides to kill dandelions. A dandelion or two on a lawn isn’t such a bad thing. But they don’t know when to stop. Hundreds or thousands of dandelions in a lawn is not a good thing. Homeowners wouldn’t appreciate potatoes or apple trees either if you couldn’t stop them from taking over a lawn. Dandelions are invasive. Most of us grew up with them, and they are so ubiquitous and persistent that we’ll never eradicate them. But they are symbolic. If we can recognize that invasive species can be problematic, perhaps we can stop even more aggressive invaders in the future. Dandelions were great in Europe, where they came from. But we didn’t really need them in America.