Belongs to: carrot family

Cow parsley Anthriscus sylvestris

Also known as: Queen Anne's lace


Best time to see: Apr to Jun

Key facts

Its flat heads of lacy white flowers line many roadsides in spring, and also hedgerows and the edges of woods

Leaves are triangular, bi- or tri-pinnate; rounded stems are hollow; grows up to 1.5m

Naturalised in many parts of the US, where it is regarded as dangerously invasive


© Tony Gunton