Queen Anne's Lace (Daucus carota)

Caterpillars of the Eastern Black Swallowtail butterfly eat the leaves, and predatory insects such as the Green Lacewing will eat aphids living on this plant.

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The book, "How to Know the Wildflowers" (1922) by Mrs William Starr Dana, gives the common name of "Queen Anne's Lace" and also "Bird's Nest" and "Wild Carrot." She says it is one of the peskiest weeds the farmer has to deal with. The book notes that "in late summer the flower stalks erect themselves, forming a concave cluster which has the appearance of a bird's nest." Some of the photos on this page can attest to this phenomenon. The author also states that she has heard that there is a species of bee that makes use of the "nest" but has never herself seen "indications of such an occupancy." I would be interested to know whether that is true or scientists have discovered proof in the nearly hundred years since this book was published.

As a butterfly gardener, I can attest that this is a host plant for the Eastern Black Swallowtail. This plant does not grow where I live in Florida, but I have seen it used by caterpillars in West Virginia and Kentucky. Eastern Black Swallowtails can be something of a pest to herb gardeners as they use parsley, fennel, dill, and rue. Queen Anne's Lace is a good plant to have nearby if you want to transfer the caterpillars so they can become butterflies without eating your herbs.

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Queen Anne's Lace can be identified by a tiny single red or purple flower in the middle of a flat cluster of hundreds of tiny white flowers. It should not be confused with the poisonous water hemlock.

The first colonists arriving in America brought carrot seeds with them but the plant soon escaped from gardens and reverted to the wild state that we know as Queen Anne's Lace. The wild root is rich in vitamin A which is good for vision.

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Honey bees get nectar from this plant which produces a white honey.

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Kids (and adults) like this plant when the stems are cut and placed in a container of water that has had food dye added to it...the flower itself turns same color as the food dye.

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