Although not a native North American wildflower, Queen Anne’s Lace has adapted to our climate well, reportedly growing in every state save for Idaho, Alaska, and Hawaii. A member of the Umbelliferae, or Carrot Family, Queen Anne’s Lace also goes by the common names Wild Carrot, Bird’s Nest, and Bishops’s Lace. The root of young plants, although white, tastes like a carrot, and when rubbed together between fingers, the foliage smells of parsley (also a member of the Umbel Family).
Queen Anne’s Lace is a caterpillar food plant of the Black Swallowtail Butterfly. Don’t despair butterfly lovers. Although the butterflies have been slow to awaken this year, I have high hopes that just as flowering plants are several weeks behind, so too will the butterflies emerge–only later than expected.
Black Swallowtail Butterfly Nectaring at Zinnia elegans
Please join me Tuesday evening at 7pm at the Chelmsford Public Library for my lecture The Pollinator Garden. The event is free and open to the public. I hope to see you there!
Good Morning Gloucester 
I love Queen Anne’s Lace! When the girls were little I would put a drop of food dye in the water and watch the flower transform!
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Sounds like fun Donna and what a great science lesson for your daughters!
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I love Queen Anne’s lace , my sister used it in her wedding .
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So pretty in a bouquet!
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Does the black dot in the center mean it’s a female plant?
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No one is really sure as to what is the function of the reddish flower at the center; some plants have it and some don’t. It may help to attract pollinators.
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Beautiful photos Kim! What type flower and butterfly is in the one photo? We plant our garden for birds, butterflies and bees. Right now, they’re loving the lantana, honeysuckle and bee balm.
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Hi Karen, the flower is a zinnia and the butterfly is the Black Swallowtail Butterfly. Here’s a link to my Black Swallowtail film’s website,
https://butterflyfilm.wordpress.com/
and a link to a BomBom, which is a short film adapted from the longer film
https://butterflyfilm.wordpress.com/bombom/
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such beautiful photographs, Kim!
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Thank you Catherine, and so nice to hear from you!!
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It’s amazing the beauty you have at your fingertips each day thanks for sharing these gems…The history behind them is a plus! Kim!! 🙂 Dave & Kim 🙂
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Thanks so much Dave and Kim.
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As usual, stunning photos, Kim; as good as anything I’ve seen in “National Geographic.”
I especially love the photo of the black swallow tail butterfly against the peach flower and green backdrop.
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