Beside the roads and down country paths summer snowflakes of Queen Anne’s Lace grow wild and free from April until frost. Wild carrot’s regal name comes from the fable about Queen Anne of England pricking her finger while stitching white lace which was stained by a drop of her blood. Look closely: In the center among all the white florets you’ll see a red-purple dot.
The blooms press beautifully and look like crocheted doilies. You can spray paint them and attach thread for hanging.
Here’s a little project you can do with the kids. Cut the flowers allowing about 6 inch stems, put them in a glass of water colored with food dye and watch the blooms change color. Experiment with making secondary colors from the three primaries of red, blue and yellow.
Two books at your public library to read are Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni and The Carrot Seed by Ruth Krauss which is also available as a read-aloud on YouTube. To develop literacy skills and learn about plants, open a book and read to your child.
