Cow Parsley in the Owl Wood

I love the month of May - it is normally the month when the hedgerows burst into life and there is so much hawthorn blossom that it looks as though the hedges have been sprinkled with snow.



In Owl Wood there is a different magic.

Ivy marches across the pathways and up the trees, if left unchecked.



The bluebells are past their best, still beautiful...but fading.

A beautiful white froth of cow parsley seems to spring up overnight, to compete with the marching ivy.





Most of it grows to about four feet high, in places it grows to almost six feet...so you can imagine what fun that makes walking with Harry. He scurries away and is hidden from sight.

Toby and the cats get swallowed up by it only to reappear unexpectedly. Little Red Hen disappears into it for hours at a time.

The trees are surrounded by white foamy flowers. The effect is quite wonderful. I keep making excuses to walk Toby and Harry in the Owl Wood; wicked woman that I am it is mainly for the pleasure of walking through the cow parsley.



It changes the quality of the light and looking across the woodland things are viewed as though through gauze. It is quite magical.

Cow parsley is easily confused with several other similar looking, but poisonous plants - Hemlock being one of them.

I need to get my plant identification book out and study it closely!