This comes under the heading of you learn something every day. Yesterday, I published a picture of wildflowers that I have always referred to as Queen Anne’s Lace.

A friend posted a reference to the fact that Queen Anne’s Lace has a look-alike cousin called Poison Hemlock. Poison Hemlock, as its name suggests, is highly poisonous and dangerous if rubbed against or ingested by people or animals.

Now, I’m not likely to be eating plants that I find by the side of a path or pond, but I travel these roads with the Pampered Princess in a Yellow Lab Suit. Daisy has her nose in everything, and her basic philosophy of life is, “If it looks good, eat it!”

This caused me to do a bit of research and head back to the site of yesterday’s picture. Happily, I found that the plant was indeed Queen Anne’s Lace. There is a distinguishing feature of Queen Anne’s Lace that is absent in Poison Hemlock. In the very center of the cluster is a tiny reddish flower. Legend has it that Queen Anne pricked her finger when she was making the lace, and a drop of her blood landed in the center.

I was relieved that our local wildflowers were harmless. The delightful legend was a bonus!