It seems that Queen Anne’s lace (Daucus carota) (QAL) is blooming early this year. Maybe with the wet spring, it got a head start, too. Either way, Jim and I have spent several hours a day for several days pulling this aggressive, weedy, non-native plant.
Also known as Wild Carrot, QAL, produces copious amount of seed, which is part of its success in taking over areas where it is not controlled. This plant came to the US from Europe and is the predecessor to our cultivated carrots. When you pull it, the root has a distinct carrot aroma. It provides some medicinal qualities for humans, which is probably the reason it was brought to America.
I have found pulling it with the assistance of a Parsnip Predator to be the best way to remove it from a prairie or areas of patchy QAL growth. It’s a biennial so once it flowers, that plant has spent its life. We wait until it is just about ready to set seed, then we pull it. If you cut it before that, it continues growing and getting bushier and bushier around the base, shading out any native seedlings that may be wanting to grow. If we were trying to eradicate from a field where it had become prevalent, I would mow it for several years after it bloomed rather than use the Parsnip Predator. When working with a large scale infestation, mowing is merely a triage move so you are not adding more seed to the seedbank. So, to handle a large scale project, chunk off pieces to herbicide or pull, and mow the rest to keep it from going to seed. I’ve found the herbicide, Opensight, to be VERY effective in killing these plants.
The seed bank is reported to persist for 2-5 years. We had quite a bit of QAL on the edges of the 5-Acre Prairie the first 2 years after it was planted. I pulled these and now have only a smattering here and there. Although not a scientific study, it does demonstrate that this plant can be removed and controlled from native areas.
While QAL provides a cover for wildlife, it has little value for wildlife beyond that. I have seen pollinators searching on the flowers, but this alone is not reason enough to maintain this plant. A diversity of native plants that bloom throughout the growing season is much more helpful to pollinators than the short time QAL is blooming. And the native plants provide so much more to wildlife; they serve as food, habitat, reproductive hosts, and provide cover.
I have a small area around my home where QAL will sprout up every few years. I have as you said, I waited until they were going to seed, then If I pull gently most often, the entire root comes out of the ground or a good chunk. Since you mentioned the parsnip predator, I can assume if it is cut off below ground at the right time of year it will die.
I actually see more pollinators on other flowers rather than QAL. I was able to eradicate it from around my yard by using my current method.
Thank you for sharing this article.
Good job!!! We’ve found that if the root is severed, that particular plant doesn’t grow back. The severing keeps the ground in tact (most of the time) as it’s an in and out movement and not a digging. This lack of disturbance keeps the seedbank seeds from germinating and gives the native plants time to move in and outcompete.