25 July 2012

Wildflower - Queen Anne's Lace

By early Summer the white umbrella-like flowers of Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota) are popping up all over the fields and roadsides. Queen Anne's Lace, also known as Wild Carrot, is native to Europe and was bred to create the orange vegetable carrot we eat.



A close-up look at the flower head shows hundreds of small flowers and many small insects.


2 comments:

Chavela said...

Have you all noticed the single red flower in the center? My dad, who would be 98 if still alive, told me that's Queen Ann's blood when she was making the lace when the needle stuck her finger. He told me as a young child and I never forgot that enchanting story.

Chavela said...

I forgot to tell you, the red flower attracts the bees and other pollinators and those sucking up the tiny bit of nectar. I like my dad's story still...