Cow parsley, also known as Anthriscus sylvestris boasts fresh, dainty, green fern-like leaves and frothy flat heads that line the lanes and roadsides in May. And I can’t remember seeing a better show than this year; it has been a joy to behold. Also known as Queen Anne’s Lace it is one of the winners among wild flowers at this time of year, benefiting from the heavy use of fertiliser in the fields, and possibly an over-dose of nitrogen from traffic fumes.
I remember, as a child, using the hollow stems as a pea-shooter but now I use it in flower arrangements, setting off the illustrious colours of flowers such as the bold, elegant tulip. And like most umbellifers, it is attractive to a huge number of insect species.
Good old cow parsley.
Bumble XX
