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the young plants as they grew would soon choke one another.
隨著幼年蒲公英逐漸長大, 它們就會限制彼此的生長空間。
Did you ever look for dandelions on a cold wet day?
你有沒有在清冷的雨天看到過蒲公英?
It is not easy to see them then, for their pretty golden crowns have all vanished.
那時候的蒲公英不是很容易被人察覺, 因為它們那漂亮的金色花冠已經消失不見。
The two outer circles of green leaves have closed round them, so that each head looks like a big green bud that has not yet opened.
外圍的兩圈綠色小片（總苞片）把葉子包裹了起來, 看起來就像是巨大的綠色蓓蕾, 還沒有打開。
In this way the little yellow flowers that form the head are kept safe and warm till finer weather comes.
這樣一來, 構成頭狀花序的黃色小花就得到了保護并且能夠獲得溫暖, 直到天氣情況有所好轉。
It is not only in rainy weather that the gay dandelions wrap themselves up in their green mantles.
明亮的蒲公英不止是遇到雨天時才會包裹在綠色的遮擋物之下。
Every evening, when the sun is setting and the air becomes chill, they close themselves up, or go to sleep, as we say.
當太陽下山、夜晚降臨時, 空氣變冷, 蒲公英的花序便合了起來, 或者說是進入了睡眠。
When pulling a dandelion to pieces, you must have noticed the milky juice that runs out of every part of the plant.
當你把蒲公英撕扯成一塊一塊時, 肯定注意到有種乳白色液體從各個地方流了出來。
This juice is very sticky, and it has a bitter taste.
這種液體極富粘性, 帶有些許苦味。
It is useful to the plant to have such a bitter juice;
對蒲公英來說, 能夠分泌這種液體對它們很有好處：
many animals do not like the taste of it, and so the plant is not eaten up by sheep or cows or horses.
很多動物都不喜歡這樣的味道, 所以羊、牛、馬就不會把它們當做食物了。
Is the dandelion of any use?
蒲公英有什么用處嗎?
Yes: people dry the roots, and then roast them and grind them into a brown powder, from which they make a drink somewhat like coffee.
當然有。人們將蒲公英的根曬干, 經過烘烤之后磨成棕色粉末, 然后就可以制作成一種類似咖啡的飲品。
A medicine is also prepared from the roots.
蒲公英的根還可以入藥。
The young leaves of the dandelion may be eaten as a salad; and they will serve as food for silkworms instead of mulberry leaves.
蒲公英的嫩葉可以當做沙拉食用；它們還可以替代桑葉用作蠶的飼料。
Boys who keep tame rabbits often gather dandelion leaves for them, and the rabbits like very much to eat them.
飼養家兔的孩子們經常收集蒲公英的葉子, 因為這些寵物非常喜歡嚼食它們。
