Question
I'm hoping you might have some insight on this issue with your landscape experience. I recently purchased a property in the Pacific Northwest. I've been noticing as the warmer weather comes on that I have a patch of what I'm hoping will be Queen Anne's Lace and not Hemlock. What are the identifying traits that will allow me to differentiate between the 2? I have goats and don't want to let them out into that area until I know it's safe. Thanks.

Answer
i'm in southern NJ.
you need to be very careful on this one. queen anne's lace (daucus carota) has leaves that look more like asparagus fern foliage. water hemlock(cicuta maculata) has elongated leaves w/venation in them. type the above latin names i have provided into your search engine. see the pictures of the foliage they will provide. compare it to the foliage of the plant you have.
to be safe call your local state/county agricultural extension service and ask them about your problem. if you guess wrong it(water hemlock) will kill animals very easily if ingested. better to err on the safe side.
good luck
rick
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