We have a print of a Queen Anne’s Lace water color, by a Maine artist, hanging in the bathroom that I admire greatly. It is of a field of the flowers filling the frame as it fades into the distance with all the greenery glowing softly. For years I have hoped to find a similar field so I could make an image resembling that vision. Yesterday morning, while at Wentworth Farm in Amherst, I thought I might achieve that goal but I just could not find anything that would work in that manner. I guess that, looking on the bright side, I still have a prize to chase.
But I did make images of Queen Anne’s Lace, which is also known as Wild Carrot (Daucus carota) and an alien in North America.
The background here is Spotted Knapweed (Centaurea stoebe aka maculosa) which is a noxious invasive non-native that eventually takes over an area crowding out the other inhabitants by using up the available groundwater faster than the other plants. I am not sure what our town plans on doing with the Knapweed, but I made use of it.
This background is Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) and also non-native. Maybe alien plants should have been the theme today. I’ve always liked Tansy, for some reason……possibly from hearing it mentioned in Shakespeare’s plays, and it will most likely appear on its own tomorrow.
With all this talk about the backgrounds, I hope you like the Queen Anne’s lace in the images.
Stephen Gingold Nature Photography Blog 
Very much liked Steve. It vaguely reminds me of what I used to call Cow Parsley.
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They are related, Andrew. Both are in the carrot family. Here, what you call Cow Parsley is known as Wild Chervil.
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I’ll do my best to keep this post from making me feel alienated.
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I figured if anyone here could appreciate alien plants and their place in the U.S. flora it would be you, Steve.
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By the way, doesn’t the Maine artist object to hanging in the bathroom? That must not be very comfortable and it would make it hard for him to do new artworks.
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Especially as it is over the toilet.
Thanks for pointing that out. I tend to overuse commas, but have added a couple to raise my level of articulatacity.
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Nice photos, Steve. We’ve noticed a lot of the Queen’s Lace blooming here lately. We thought it might be time to republish this one by Melanie from last summer. http://wp.me/p3izEO-6e
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She put together a very nice post, Jim. Your shots in the post are well done too.
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Thanks. I will tell her.
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First Gingold, then Hardacre, then Schwartzman…. Doesn’t get any better than the anchor and the pair of masters linked to him. Start in New England, traverse over and down to the Southwest, then globe trot over to Long Valley in Hong Kong. Now wonder I like this place.
Ebenezer
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Very kind of you, Eb. I am glad you enjoy visiting the blog.
I don’t know what else to say.
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Hey, Steve…. You replied! (and edited out the :oops:) You and your colleagues behind the lens demonstrate the skill and vision necessary to create edifying graphics art. 😳 edifying photography …. attuned to the natural world …. We both know about Andrew’s immense talent — sensitive soul that he is — and Schwartzman’s creations with flowers are awesome. Now about that alien talk…. OK. We won’t go there.
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Hey, I am very sensitive. More than Andrew and Steven rolled into one quivering mass of soft-spoken sensitivity, I bet. 😉
Are aliens the elephant in the blogroom?
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Whoah! Where did that frowny face come from?? Is that the oops with a semi-colon in front and a colon in back? I abjure that frowny face!
Such are the pitfalls of electronica.
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The : oops : at one time was a blushing emoticon. FB, in their immense wisdom, changed it to a frown which was not what I intended. So I took abjuration a step further and banished it from future usage.
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Horray for Captain Spaulding!
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Yes, very much. I think in the second one you did get some glow in the background. I have a fine crop of Queen Anne’s Lace in my garden, because I like it so much and because so do black swallowtails. I also find that I have Purple Loosestrife, an aptly named thug of an alien if I’ve ever heard one. The great news there is that the beetles introduced to control it are working, so all of the leaves are nicely laced and I don’t fear that it will wreak the damage it once could. Now, I can just smile and think, “how pretty!”
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We’ve never had it in our garden, but I have seen QAL in the gardens of homes that I visit. Mullein too. I think some people like having some wild “weeds” decorate their property. We try to encourage milkweed in our yard for the Monarchs. Not very successful attracting them so far. I used to see several cats a year, but not for a few years now.
Purple Loosestrife does grow abundantly here too, but I don’t see it overpowering the natives as much as it does elsewhere.
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Yup … certainly a pretty one … pretty enough to have been the motif at the wedding of a very good friend a couple of years ago. Like lace … and, I think, goes very much un-noticed. Thanks for bringing it to our attention today. In a very pretty way, I will add. D
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Thanks, D. Yes, I can see it as a wedding motif.
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The second one with the yellow background is my favorite. For some reason it is more appealing. Nice shots, Steve.
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I think it must be the yellow, mellow yellow, Yvonne. 🙂 Thanks.
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I wonder if alien varieties are particularly troublesome in borders?
There was a lot of publicity about the ravages that purple loo strife would cause here. But around our lake it doesn’t seem to have taken over. Just the same few clumps there were ten years ago.
Very nice image of the QAL. It really is a pretty plant
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Thanks, Rod.
Some non-natives are more aggressive than others. Generally I think Purple Loosestrife is pretty invasive but I guess some environments are more resistant and keep it in balance a little.
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I especially like the second one because of the light fluffy background. A very nice photo with a good mood in it 🙂
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The second one seems to be everyone’s choice….and it is mine as well. Thanks, Sandra.
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