Ponds are changing, and admiring Queen Anne’s lace

Ponds are changing, and admiring Queen Anne’s lace
Herb Broda

Queen Anne’s lace, or wild carrot, is definitely the roadside plant of the month and should continue producing flowering stalks until the first frost.

                        

When I think of a pond, I imagine turtles on a log, a red-winged blackbird and some cattails at the edge. Nice nostalgia — but ponds have been changing.

The familiar, tall plants growing in most ponds for many years were cattails — slender plants with seed heads that resemble a corn dog. They usually grow 3-9 feet tall and will gradually expand their territory. They have a graceful look and are frequently included in art and nature decor.

Cattails are still around, but in many ponds and wetlands, another plant has taken over — big time. Phragmites is found in all of the places where cattails live. Phragmites, or common reed grass, is a tall plant that is easily spotted by its feathery seed heads at the top of a 10-15-foot stem. It forms dense stands that choke out other plants including cattails.

Both cattails and phragmites pose problems for owners of small ponds. There is a narrow-leaved cattail that is invasive in Ohio and hybridizes with the more docile native common cattail. These non-native plants establish dense stands and may produce chemicals that discourage growth of other plants.

Of the two, phragmites is considered by many to be the bigger problem. Phragmites spreads much more aggressively than cattails, encroaching up to 15 feet per year.

But the real issue is fire. Phragmites is extremely flammable, burns very hot and can generate flames 30-40 feet high with some flames approaching over 60 feet.

That amount of heat and tall flames results in burning debris that can be blown across roadways into other grassy areas near buildings. Cattails also will burn but do not seem to create as big of a fire threat.

Locally, a phragmites fire occurred in Rittman in late July. Fire Chief Don Sweigert said in a local news story that phragmites burned like oil and was the worst field fire he had ever seen in the city limits.

From flower to nest

Country roadsides and fields have been blooming with thousands of white flowers that look like miniature lace doilies from an earlier time. Queen Anne’s lace, or wild carrot, is definitely the roadside plant of the month and should continue producing flowering stalks until the first frost.

The circle of white flowers resembles a piece of fine lace embroidery or a huge snowflake. Look closer and see that it is made up of 20-30 or more individual flower heads; each of these may contain a dozen or more tiny flowers only about an eighth of an inch across. Depending on the size of the flower head, there can be 500 or more individual tiny flowers on one plant.

It’s a controversial plant — some call it a weed, others an invasive — but many florists love it because it adds beauty to their creations. Love it or hate it, you still have to admire the complex flower it produces.

On some plants there is a tiny red-purple flower in the middle. Nobody really knows the function of this small red flower, but kids enjoy the challenge of trying to find the ones with the purple dot.

The legend says Queen Anne was tatting (precursor to making lace) when she pricked her finger. The purple flower represents the drop of blood.

The elegant white flowers definitely grab your attention, but I’m fascinated by the surprise this plant delivers at the end of its bloom. When all of the little flowers are pollinated, the entire disc folds upward and looks like a small bird’s nest, which also is another common name for this plant.

The nest provides protection for the maturing seeds and also habitat and shelter for insects. Ants hide in the cozy nest during a storm, and some tiny species of bees and spiders call the cup-like structures home.

Once the seeds are mature, the nest opens up and seeds are ready to leave and cling to anything that passes by. And there are a lot of seeds. According to the USDA Forest Service, one plant can produce 1,000-40,000 seeds.

This seems to be an especially good year for Queen Anne’s lace along roadsides and in fields. Take some time this month to take a good look at the intricate flower head and the cool, little nest that it produces.

Email Herb Broda at 4nature.notebook@gmail.com.


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