Poison hemlock
Toxic · do not eatHemlock has true umbels of individual flowers. Confirm flower structure and foliage together.
Study first
Common yarrow.
Achillea millefolium
Also found as Milfoil · Yarrow
A meadow perennial with finely divided foliage and clusters of miniature daisy heads.
Sources checked 9 September 2026 · Specialist field review pending
Before any gathering or use
Can cause contact dermatitis. Do not identify by a flat white flower cluster alone.
Where it grows
Tracked records and known growing zone
- Verified records
- 206,049
- People who recorded it
- 72,561
- Most records (northern hemisphere)
- May–Aug
- Records span
- 1969–2026
| January | 1996 |
|---|---|
| February | 2357 |
| March | 4982 |
| April | 18152 |
| May | 23647 |
| June | 41612 |
| July | 47151 |
| August | 28816 |
| September | 15929 |
| October | 10091 |
| November | 5061 |
| December | 2386 |
Research-grade iNaturalist records, snapshot Aug 27, 2026. The growing zone combines areas where different people have repeatedly verified it. Records show where people looked and found it, not current abundance or permission to gather.
01 / Learn to see
Field marks
- 01
Featherlike, deeply divided leaves; upper leaves alternate.
- 02
Flat clusters consist of tiny daisy heads, with ray and disc florets.
- 03
Upright flowering stems arise above the leafy base.
These are study prompts, not a complete identification key. Confirm the full plant with a regional flora and an experienced local identifier.
02 / Resolve the differences
Look closely. Compare.
Selected comparisons only. Other lookalikes may occur locally.
03 / Meet the place
Habitat & season
Range context
Temperate Europe, Asia and North America; cultivated forms and related taxa vary.
Watch the plant stage
Observe a flowering plant in the local warm season before studying vegetative specimens.
Stage guidance is not a local forecast. Check your climate, elevation and a regional source; no month-shift formula is used here.
04 / Gather with care
Documented use & care
Parts discussed: Flowering top
Included for identification, flowers and documented traditional use; no medicinal preparation is supplied.
Care for the patch
Leave most flower heads for pollinators and seed.
Preparation & storage essentials05 / A named folk-herbal lens
Spiritual companionship
European folk and protective herb lore
Discernment, protection, and the integrity of a clear edge.
At the patch
Stand at the margin where yarrow often grows and name what you are protecting—and what you are willing to welcome.
Before making
Gather flowering tops in settled weather and leave a broad flowering presence behind.
This optional spiritual lens does not establish identity, edibility, dosage, lawful access, or medical safety. Follow a teaching more deeply through its named people and lineage rather than treating it as universal.
Open Ways of Gathering06 / Follow the evidence
Sources & review
- NC State Extension · Achillea millefoliumBotanical description, range and documented use
Checked 9 September 2026. Original editorial synthesis; source institutions have not reviewed or endorsed this guide. Independent botanical field review is pending. Photos illustrate specimens; they do not certify the identity of a plant you find.
Suggest a correction