Cow parsley - or something else?

[Mellifera Crofter]

Today, in a short period between spells of mizzle, my bees were out in force foraging on the cow parsley - or what I thought was cow parsley, but I'm not so sure now. I think the leaves are far too big and, looking around on the internet, the flowers look more like hemlock. Can somebody please tell me what they are? They're all over Aberdeenshire at the moment.

Do the bees usually forage on them, or are they just desperate again?

Kitta

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[Julian]

The second image is a collection of different members of the Umbelliferae family (carrot family), the third image is Hog Weed (a member of the carrot family) and the first image I'm not sure (cannot see the leaves and stem) but it’s not Hog Weed as the flowers are too large.

Hope that helps.

[gavin]

It seems possible that they are all hogweed - Heracleum sphondylium rather than the giant invasive one, H mantegazzianum. I've seen bees collecting pollen from them, but as far as I know there is no nectar to be had. I once looked at a honey sample for a lady in SW England and it had wild carrot pollen in it, a related species.

[chris]

We have loads of wild carrot here, and the bees work it for pollen, though it flowers a bit later (August) when there is a smaller choice of wild flowers available.I've never seen them collecting nectar from it. I gather it for the rabbits as well. My way of recognizing it is to look at the centre of the mass of tiny white flowers- there is always just one of a different colour-looks a bit like an insect working it.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thank you Julian, Gavin and Chris - I'm learning.

I don't know how Julian guessed different kinds in the second picture, but he might be right. I've just been back to have a look. I now think there are some that look like cow parsley, and some that look like hogweed (like the one with the bee on it in yesterday's pictures). The bees seem to prefer the hogweeds.

Browsing on the internet I became confused between hogweed and cow parsnip - is there a difference? I've taken some more pictures and will upload them later when I have time.

Kitta

[gavin]

Cow parsley is a more spreading plant with more dissected leaves and widely branching inflorescences. Devoid of hairs as far as I remember.

Hogweed is quite stocky and robust with stiff hairs all over and more solid platforms for the insects which have a touch of pink in them, missing from cow parsley. Tends to flower later too.

There are many other wild umbels, some quite tasty such as sweet cicely, and some such as hemlock which are, well, not worth nibbling. Some vegetables crops (carrot, parsnip, Florence fennel) and many herbs and spices come from this family.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks Gavin - I'm actually confused by cow parsnip (H. maximum) and hogweed (H. lanatum). When I started to search for images of hogweed, cow parsnip images also appeared, and I can't see the difference.

The first photo below is of the three kinds of plant I found on my land. Is the one with the fine leaves at the bottom of the photo cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris)? The second photo shows its flowers. The flowers in the third photo belonged to the plant at the top of the first photo (hogweed/cow parsnip?), and is similar to the flowers on which the bees were foraging yesterday. Their stamens seem more visible. Then there's the large leaf in the middle of the first photograph. I'm not sure whether that's just an outsize leaf, or another kind of plant.

I did not see any flower umbrella with a different-coloured centre flower, Chris - but I'll keep looking.

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[gavin]

That's the trouble with the internet - tends to have an American bias! Best stick to UK species and all will be clear. ;)

Having seen your pictures I'm fairly sure that you have hogweed and cow parsley in the first image, maybe cow parsley in the second, and something more pom-pom like in the last. I have a book on British Umbelliferae/Apiaceae somewhere and will have a look.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks Gavin. The pom-pom is a detail of the top plant - so it's hogweed? Many thanks.

Kitta

[gavin]

In the first picture it certainly looks like hogweed. The third is less convincing but perhaps it is just the perspective. It usually has a reasonably flat infloresence and bigger petals facing outwards round the edge.

www.plant-identification.co.uk/skye/umbelliferae/heracleum-sphondylium.htm

Looking again the inflorescences don't look like balls or flowers after all.

[Mellifera Crofter]

Thanks Gavin - I've bookmarked that site.

I'll just call them all hogweed and feel pleased that the bees have some forage on their doorstep to make use of between spells of rain.

Kitta

[Julian]

This may already been known but it is better to reiterate just in case.

A cautionary note about H. mantegazzianum:

The sap from Giant Hogweed can cause photo-dermatitis. Contact with the skin and then even mild exposure to sunlight can cause burning blisters that require treatment. It can result in permanent sensitivity of the skin to Infra Red light.

This happened to a friend of mine after a walk through Giant Hogweed wearing shorts. He ended up in hospital overnight. Painful!

[gavin]

Do you know if bees work the pollen from giant hogweed as they do the native one? I'm not tall enough to check :o

I'd prefer it if they didn't - they already have too much of a penchant for Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam!

[Julian]

I've only seen bees working native hogweed, not giant hogweed but we do not have that much H. mantegazzianum around to make that a definitive answer.

When I say “I’m not happy” people ask “which dwarf are you then?” so I struggle to see as well. :D

[Mellifera Crofter]

Sneezy? Among the giant hogweeds.

A couple of days ago when it was nice and sunny, I checked the hogweeds and did not see a single bee foraging. I suppose they made use of the good weather to fly further afield.