Daucus carota
Sweetness of life, Web of life, Ancestral connections
Queen Anne's lace produces clusters of small white flowers that resemble lace. What appears to be a single flower 3 to 5 inches across is made up of 20 to 30 single flowers, often with one purple flower in the middle. Each of the small individual flowers has five petals. The plant is said to be named for Queen Anne of England, who pricked her finger and a drop of blood stained the white lace she was making.
Queen Anne's lace is a biennial plant - the first year it grows as a cluster of leaves and the second year it produces flowers, then dies. Flowers bloom for most of the summer so a single plant may have flowers in different stages of maturity. Plants are up to 3 feet tall and have leaves that look like ferns. The plant propagates by seed; one plant can produce thousands of seeds. Queen Anne's lace is an ancestor to present day carrots.
The plant originally grew in Europe and southwest Asia and also presently grows Australia and North America. Queen Anne's lace likes sun to part shade, tolerates dry conditions and can be seen growing along roads and in open fields. It is very high in sugar. Tea made from roots has been used as a diuretic.
Queen Anne's lace attracts bees and butterflies.
Queen Anne's lace shows us that things are not always as they seem - sometimes they are so much sweeter! Are you allowing yourself all of the sweetness in life? Do you need to let go of beliefs that no longer serve you to allow the natural sweetness of life to flow more easily? Are you careful about choosing topics that make you happy or bring gratitude? The plant's roots hold the sweetness, showing us that the foundation of our lives is based on that sweetness. We are grounded in all good things and need to choose to live as beings who allow that goodness to flow to us.
The formation of the flowers - clusters that are all connected into a single "lace" flower formation - are a representation of the web of life. We are all individual and are all connected to each other as part of humanity. If you are drawn to Queen Anne's lace, focus on how you look at your connections to others. Are you nurturing your most meaningful relationships? Are you appreciative of what others bring to you? Are you too focused on what others think of you? And are you giving to others - too little or two much? Look for balance in your relationships and don't be afraid to make changes where needed to achieve balance that is fair to you.
The interconnectedness of the flowers of Queen Anne's lace also shows us our interconnectedness with our ancestors. The plants are wildflowers - they appear to grow everywhere in summer and are a reminder that our ancestors are around us and with us always. Our ancestors provide us with that foundation to the sweetness of life, and to assist us in our lives. Do you ever think of an ancestor and you see a favorite bird? Or a number on a license plate? Our ancestors will get our attention through a variety of means to highlight their connections to us and provide answers to any questions we have.
Queen Anne's lace is also called wild carrot, bird's nest and bishop's lace.
