Cow Parsley - Cowbar Nature

It’s easy to spot this plant along the sides of Cowbar Lane and the Cleveland Way footpath.
It is one of several parsley types (umbels because of the shape of their flower heads). Some of these can be difficult to tell apart.
There are over 3000 species in the umbellifers group it belongs to.
It is abundant during the months of April, May and June.
Cow Parsley flowers are popular with ladybirds, orange-tip butterflies, marmalade hoverflies, bees and moths. They are a vital early food source.
It is one of the plants also known as Queen Ann’s Lace, Fairy Lace and Lady’s Lace because of its delicate, lacy white flowers, but it has many other popular names:
It is also known as Mother Die, Mother’s Dead, Break-Your-Mother’s-Heart and Kill-Your-Mother-Quick to warn against picking it in case it might be Hemlock or possibly because the flowers drop their petals immediately.
It was known as Dead-Man’s Flourish, Dead-Man’s Flesh and Devil’s Bread – allegedly because it sometimes grows on graves.
It was called Dog’s Flourish because it grew where the dogs had done their business along the roadside (sadly, that happens too much on Cowbar).
It was sometimes called Poor Man’s Oatmeal because it could be eaten.
Wild Chervil is another name, derived from the Old English wudu-cerfille, literally meaning wood-spice. It was found inside the stomach of a Celtic man found in a bog.
All parts of the plant are edible, though, as a member of the carrot family it is easily confused with poisonous hemlock and should only be picked if you are extremely sure of its identification.
Cow Parsley and Hemlock leaves are both feathery and remarkably similar, but cow parsley has short velvety hairs on the ridged stem and Hemlock is smooth.
Cow Parsley stems are green or purple but never blotchy – mature Hemlock is blotched with purple.
Cow Parsley leaves smell aromatic and aniseed-like when crushed, whilst Hemlock leaves smell of mouse wee.
The young leaves as parsley and the stems are crisp and juicy.
The seeds can be crushed and used as a seasoning.
The hollow tubular stems were once used as hawthorn berry shooters by young children and the stems were also used to make flutes.
Cow Parsley medicine has been used to treat stomach and kidney problems, breathing difficulties, colds, insomnia and as an insect repellent.
Sheep have been spotted self-medicating with cow parsley by rubbing their heads against the stems to release the oils. It is also being analysed for use as a potential cancer remedy. However, cow parsley can be poisonous to cats.