(By Skylar Bodeo-Lomicky) An ode to Queen Anne’s lace, Daucus carota , aka the wild ancestor of the domestic carrot. Leaves and stems are fresh and herbal and smell of, well, carrots. The flowers are not so aromatic on their own, but bunch a handful of their umbels together and suddenly they smell grand, sweet, and similar to honeysuckle. It’s in full bloom right about now.

As I spent time cutting out fireblight at Finley Lane, the wild carrot caught my eye. I noticed how many insects are taking a liking to their great big umbels of teeny tiny flowers: beetles in the family Cerambycidae, sweat bees (Halictidae), hover flies (Syrphidae), ants (Formicidae), and more little mystery beetles that I have yet to identify. Oh, and wasps in the family Braconidae. That’s exciting to see!

As the sun gets low and the air gets cool, the insects start to settle in for the night. At this point there aren’t as many bugs out on the flowers anymore. If I was only out at this hour, I might not even realize just how much of a haven Daucus carota is.