Hello: There is a plant that I would like to know about. It grows along a buffer (perhaps part of a critical area) that belongs to the City of Bellingham. I don't remember from years past what its flower is like. There are photos I took in this link. Where somebody cut a bunch of it is near where some people are (illegally) camping with their house rabbit. I guess they chopped it for their bunny; I don't know what has transpired. There are wild rabbits in the area. I did call Animal Control yesterday morning and they said they would do a welfare check on the bunny. Just now, I started to look online at how to ID poison hemlock and its lookalikes, but I am far from eureka. Many thanks for forum's kind help. https://photos.app.goo.gl/pnjQyBjjkQ2wzQkCA
Yes, Apiaceae. Is it possible to get an additional photo of the stalk at the base of the leaves? (wear gloves if you need to handle foliage, I am always careful with Apiaceae).
That looks a lot like Bur Chervil (Anthriscus caucalis) Bur Chervil | , a very invasive plant in terms of the territory it takes over. It is an annual but produces multitudes of seeds.
Today I took better photos (Apiaceae Part 2). I confess that I hadn't seen difference as of yesterday between mystery plant and other plants who also line up along the trail (perhaps Tansy or Queen Anne's Lace). So I deleted the Tansyish from the first album I posted. I hope this is better. They are not really blooming yet. Thank you, Margot for the bur chervil answer. I will anxiously await final votes. I hope these photos from today make definitive ID possible. Thank you both! https://photos.app.goo.gl/1hXHvQt95hBDkm78A
I am pressed for time today, but here's a resource to help: Wild chervil identification and control: Anthriscus sylvestris - King County
I had been calling the weeds in my property Anthriscus sylvestris until I saw on the BC Invasive Plant list that it is referred to as Anthriscus caucalis. A. sylvestris is commonly called cow parsley, wild chervil, wild beaked parsley, or keck while A. caucalis is referred to as bur chervil. From the description of A. sylvestris on the King County Invasive Plant list, I don't think that's what I have but don't have time to explain now - too sunny out there to sit at the computer. Maybe it will help you figure out if it is the one you're asking about. One thing I notice when I rub the leaves between my fingers is that it produces a carroty smell; I doubt that's definitive though. It doesn't particularly taste like chervil to me and leaves a somewhat bitter aftertaste. Either way, I can't pull it up fast enough!
Hemlock has mottled stalks and an unpleasant smell. Mature plants here are currently throwing up flowering stems.
Thanks to Mr. Mosquin posting King County Noxious Weed link, I was led to Whatcom County Noxious Weed program and contacted them. I was told it is definitively poison hemlock and they will contact the City about removal. Thanks very much, UBC forum!
I don't know if any of the poison hemlock was officially dealt with in my vicinity by the City of Bellingham. There is a moth bio-control possibility but I don't know whether that took effect either. The plants are all still standing but just dried out. Is touching the plants harmless now that they are all dried up? The County noxious weed employee told me in June: "...the South Bay Trail hemlock is on a list of many sites that staff are working on and they should get to the hemlock soon. I know that they have an incredible workload and at this time of year the staff can be stretched rather thin so it may take longer to get to than originally anticipated. In the meantime, I’ve noticed an increase in populations of an insect which feeds on poison hemlock exclusively (it’s a type of biocontrol). The insect is called poison hemlock moth (Agonopterix alstromeriana) and its larva is a green worm which eats the plant. We are having an exceptional year for poison hemlock across Whatcom County and it seems that the hemlock moth populations are also up. You will likely see affected plants along the South Bay Trail and this insect will probably prevent plants from producing seed this year, which is a good thing. More information is here:" agonopterixalstromeriana
I don't see any Conium maculatum in your photos; that is a richer yellow-green overall, has abundant purple spotting on the stems, and in early May would be nowhere near flowering - flowers from the end of June to August (pic below, early July, just starting to flower).
Thank you, Michael F. The Whatcom County Noxious Weed program expert identified the problem as poison hemlock. I took a couple of video clips and stills of some plants yesterday. They have been dried out for a while now. I presume they don't pose a rash at this point and no people or other critters would eat them, but I asked the forum to be sure. https://photos.app.goo.gl/DPzhwYb5gWpuAu4g8 https://photos.app.goo.gl/1JXMDZyqHpeY88fS6
