Have you noticed a lot of blooming white flowers along our roadsides in the past week or so? This is Wild Chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), an introduced species that is extremely aggressive in spreading along roadsides and fields. It looks a lot like Queen Anne’s Lace, which blooms later in the summer.
This is the first umbellifer to bloom. Wild Chervil is very aggressive. It spreads abundantly when allowed to go to seed. It is a biennial, so foliage grows one year,then it blooms and sets seed the following year,after which the plant dies. If we can cut the flowers now, they will not go to seed. This is a huge task, considering the amount of Wild Chervil growing throughout the Valley and all over Vermont.
SallyvonTrapp has been cutting and digging wild chervil along Common Road in Waitsfield for several years. She reports that the amount growing along Common Road this year is greatly diminished. Hooray,Sally, for this great effort. I heard Sally’s comments about this invasive at Town Meeting, and it inspired me to get more involved in getting rid of this invasive on East Warren Road.
We hope that many of you will become more aware of Wild Chervil and will try to get rid of it on your section of road and in your yard, pasture, or field. The time is urgent since it is in full bloom now. Cutting the flowers now with a scythe, mower, or weed whacker will begin the process of reducing seeding. The key is to prevent it from going to seed. Seeds are purported to retain viability for four years, so it is possible to have an impact fairly quickly.
The juices of this plant can cause a phototoxic reaction on the skin. Protect your skin by wearing long pants, long sleeves, gloves and sturdy footwear. I carry a walking stick for balance and wear a reflective vest when working on roadsides.
Thanks so much for helping to eradicate this aggressive plant in our beautiful Mad River Valley.
For more info, contact:
Pat Folsom at
SallyvonTrappat
Pat Folsom, Waitsfield
