Queen Anne's Lace
I distinctly remember as a child being fascinated by this flower. Whenever I saw a patch of it in a park or road, I would try and find the purple ‘Queen Anne’ before my brother did.
Legend has it that Queen Anne, the wife of King James I, was challenged by her friends to create lace as beautiful as a flower. While making the lace, she pricked her finger, and it’s said that the purple-red flower in the center of Queen Anne’s Lace represents a droplet of her blood.
Also called Wild Carrot (since Queen Anne’s Lace is the wild progenitor of today’s carrot), Bishop’s Lace or Bird’s Nest. In the language of flowers, Queen Anne’s Lace represents sanctuary.