I have run into a number of references in various books to the notion that "a Dandelion always knows the time". I did a web search, and came up with the following:

"Blow on a seed head until all the seeds are gone. The number of puffs it took will tell you what time it is. Alternatively, blow three times on the seed head and the number of seeds left will tell the time."

But I didn't find anything else.

I'm pretty sure that I saw this notion about Dandelions and the time in one of the Mary Poppins books, and also in The Hobbit, both times in connection with a riddle game. Could it be from the British side of the pond? I never heard anything about this growing up here in the USA.

Any insights appreciated!

Don