BLOOMING HEART of QUEEN ANNE'S LACE

Queen Anne's Lace

Her body is not so white as
anemone petals nor so smooth--nor
so remote a thing. It is a field
of the wild carrot taking
the field by force; the grass
does not raise above it.
Here is no question of whiteness,
white as can be, with a purple mole
at the center of each flower.
Each flower is a hand's span
of her whiteness. Wherever
his hand has lain there is
a tiny purple blemish. Each part
is a blossom under his touch
to which the fibres of her being
stem one by one, each to its end,
until the whole field is a
white desire, empty, a single stem,
a cluster, flower by flower,
a pious wish to whiteness gone over--
or nothing.

~ William Carlos Williams
(1883 - 1963)

(POET'S CORNER)

~ Queen Anne's Lace

(Daucus carota)

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Gardener's Note: "Queen Anne's Lace, also called Wild Carrot, is tall with stems covered by tiny hairs. Once a European garden plant, it has escaped to the wild and is considered a week because of its aggressive growth. Flower clusters dry and curl, forming the bird's nest shape often used in dried flower arrangements. its long taproot can be dug, roasted and ground as a coffee substitute. During its first year, the roots are soft enough to eat. It is thought to be the ancestor of the common garden carrot. TAKE CAUTION: Queen Anne's Lace is sometimes confused with deadly WATER HEMLOCK. Look closely for Queen Anne's CENTRAL PURPLE FLORET. A host plant for Black Swallowtail butterfly caterpillars."

~ Stan Tekiela

WILDFLOWERS of MICHIGAN