We’re on a quest to encourage the growing of dandelions as they are so good for bees, butterflies and even birds, that we’re giving away a family ticket* for the Fairy Fair (May 26/ 27), to the family with the best garden dandelion patch.
(*worth £28 and gives entry for two adults with two children, under 3’s come free)
As well as the free entrance ticket the winning family will be invited to tea with the Fairy King and Queen and become the holders of the Golden Dandelion, to be awarded in the finale of the Fairy Fair.
How to enter: go into your garden (if you’ve not got a garden, borrow someone else’s), take a photo of the densest patch of dandelions you can find and post it at our Facebook page. (If not on Facebook email it to us and we’ll post it).
To make the photos comparable, we’re looking for a patch about 50 cms x 50 cms square (20″ x 20″). Be sure to take it from about shoulder height looking straight down. There’s no need to include a ruler, tape measure or object for scale (though that would help) but just including the edge of your feet like this will be useful (we can work out the size afterwards):
A solitary dandelion (Location: The Backs, Cambridge. Shame on you, Cambridge Colleges !). Can you do better than this?
Lots here but not in a garden. A superb roadside verge in Bircham Village, Norfolk.
- Closing date: Wednesday 17th April at 7pm.
- Winner will be announced: Sunday 21st April.
- The Golden Dandelion Trophy will be presented to the winning family when they attend the Fairy Fair, on 26 or 27 May
Notes:
- If the race is close we may ask you to verify your location as a garden by sending us an extra picture. Feel free to do that anyway – in other words include a ‘wide shot’ of the patch.
- Only dandelions in flower count
- Tip: dandelions close up if it’s cold and cloudy or getting dark and they turn to follow the sun – a sunny day is best
- Tip: set you camera to “square” photos if it gives the option
- The Fairyland Trust is particularly trying to encourage people to grow dandelions in their gardens (see here) so this competition is about gardens but if there is sufficient interest we may expand it to other places such as road verges and parks, next year.
Read more about the Fairy Fair
Read more about how important dandelions are for wildlife and why we should not be spraying them out with ‘weed killer’ and ‘lawn improver’
Watch our video LAWNAGGEDON, about a man who dreams of the ‘perfect lawn’ before he wakes up to how good they are for bees
Why we’re doing it – Dandelions are fantastic for nectar to feed bees, butterflies and loads of other insects (photo George Pilkington)