Letter of the day: One's outlook determines if a dandelion is a weed or a flower

Dandelions can be the bane of our existence, if we think we must banish them from our yards. Has anyone considered that they are cheery wildflowers, doing what few other flowers can do? They bloom resplendently all summer long, without fertilizer and with little water. The obsession to clear our yards of dandelions can be stressful and impractical. Why not band together with neighbors in a pact to protect this hard-working species? Why spend the time and the money worrying about them? Driving by a yard that was ablaze with dandelions this spring made me think for a moment that I was in England, with wildflowers gloriously in bloom. How foolish it is to spray toxic, cancer-causing weed killers on them, while polluting our groundwater and our air in the process. Why not let them live and let relaxation reign? JULIE MELLUM, MINNEAPOLIS