by Journalist Jay
Queen Anne’s Lace
is gracing the countryside
Queen Anne’s Lace, whose common names include wild carrot, bird’s nest, and bishop’s lace, is a white, flowering plant in the family Apiaceae (wild carrot), native to temperate regions of Europe. Domesticated carrots are cultivars of a subspecies. Queen Anne’s Lace, or wild carrot, is an herbaceous, somewhat variable biennial plant that grows between one and two-feet tall, but it seems this year is a banner year as many are reaching nearly six feet.
The flowers of this plant are small and an elegant white, clustered in flat, dense umbels. The umbels are terminal and approximately three-to-four-inches wide. They may be pink in bud and may have a reddish or purple flower in the centre of their umbel. The function of this tiny red flower is thought to attract insects. Queen Anne’s Lace blooms in late summer and fall, and it is not known how the center red flower attracts insects but we know it also attracts spiders which hide under the umbels to sneak up and grab an insect visiting the center of the flower. As the seeds develop on this plant, the umbel curls up at the edges, becomes more congested, and develops a concave surface. This congested clump is one reason it sometimes called bird’s nest.
Foliage of the Queen Anne’s lace, especially wet foliage, can cause skin irritation in some people. Sensitized photosensitive persons may get an exact reproduction of the leaf on their skin by placing the leaf on their arm for a while, followed by exposure to sunshine.
Great caution should be used when collecting Queen Anne’s because it bears a close resemblance to poison hemlock, which has similar flowers and leaves.
Queen Anne’s Lace, when freshly cut, will draw or change color depending on the color of the water in which it is held. This effect is only visible on the “head” or flower of the plant. You can create nice looking arrangements dying the umbels different colors for a vase.
And this is the world according to Jonesy, who will be enjoying the beautiful flower arrangements at the Berrien County Youth Fair this week, along with a dozen or so Korn dogs, Elephant Ears, caramel apples from Rosie’s Sweet Shack, and, of course, Barbie’s Cookies.
