It grows all over in Litchfield. A great medicinal herb! God for bruises, burns, radiation, takes pain away from varicose veins, sunburn, but it is renowned for its ability to stop the blood from gushing wounds. Hence it's name "Achillea millefolium", named after the Greek leader of warriors in the Trojan War, who bound the wounds of his warriors with yarrow to staunch the flow of their blood.

achillia multifolia is labeled as "native" on your Minnesota Wildflowers site, but as alien in Roger Tory Peterson's Field Guide to Wildflowers, and on the USDA website. Is this an "oops" or do you have other information on this plant?

Nancy, thanks for this particular question, as I have asked it myself.

According to Flora of North America ("FNA" is our definitive guide, see FloraNorthAmerica.org) this species is native, though morphologically variable. FNA goes on to explain that some early botanists considered the variations separate species, others considered them variations of a single species. It seems now this is a Northern Hemisphere species that has hybridized sufficiently between North American and introduced plants to become a single, variable species.

FNA calls it native. The MN DNR big list-o-plants calls it "undecided", so it's open to debate.

I have it growing in front of my house. It really seems invasive to me. My grass is almost all yarrow in places. One good thing--it mows nicely, and stays green when the grass is turning brown! The underground root system is almost impossible to get rid of.

I have difficulty telling the difference between yarrow and Queen Anne's Lace. I have heard the the Lace is toxic. Is there some distinction to help determine which is which?

There are a number of differences between these two species that you could look for, such as:

• QAL has very showy bracts under the flower cluster, yarrow has none
• yarrow leaves are much more finely feathered, QAL leaves (and leaflets) are much broader
• yarrow flower petals are all the same size and almost square, with small notches at the tip, QAL petals are rounded at the tips and variable in size

Does that help?

We started a small native prairie restoration on sandy soil at our lake cabin. We used a seed mix from a highly regarded source, containing under 1% yarrow. By year three we had a lovely stand with heavy Black-eyed Susan, grays headed coneflower, and a mix of others. This year, yarrow has taken over 90% of the area behind our house, crowding out the other plants. I would definitely call this an undesirable invasive. Is there any other option beside Rounduo to manage the yarrow?

Last year My Mom's neighbor asked if she'd like some ferns. I took some too only to find out when they bloomed they weren't ferns they were yellow yarrow. They are very invasive in my front flower bed, easily crowding out the other plants. I have been pulling them out by the root to keep them under control. The foliage is pleasant but the blooms are homely. They only stay yellow for a very short time and then they darken. So I pull the flower heads off too. A lot of work but as I said the foliage is pretty.

The garden stores sell Yarrow in all sorts of colors. We are planting a pollinator garden. Do the "unnatural" colors attract bees & butterflies as well as the natural ones?

Michael, the yarrow found in garden centers is not necessarily a native species. Regardless, while the study of native cultivars and pollinators is in its infancy, preliminary findings show that they are not as attractive to insects as the straight species.

Just curious if there is a way to differentiate between the subspecies. Specifically, var. millefolium from var. occidentalis. In my research, it shows that the var. occidentalis is native to the US, whereas the var. millefolium is European. We assume to have both here, but I don't know how to verify that claim.

According to Flora of North America, the North American and European species have hybridized sufficiently where it isn't really possible to tell them apart, nor can it be confirmed a "pure" strain still exists.

is yarrow & queen anne's lace related? or different names for the same plant? or just similar in appearance?

Trish, those two are unrelated. Queen Anne's lace is in the carrot family and yarrow is in the aster family. The only thing they really have in common is the both have white flowers and finely divided leaves, but even they look very different side by side.

I'm having trouble distinguishing between common yarrow and caraway? I'm fairly certain what is growing in our area is common yarrow as it is a DNR wildlife area that was recently reseeded with native grasses and flowers.

Sara, take a close look at the flowers: yarrow has tiny flowers in the center disk where caraway has more of a smooth, dome-shaped disk without tiny flowers. The arrangement is different, too: yarrow has branching clusters where caraway has umbels, so all its flower stalks come from the same point, like the ribs of an umbrella.

It grows in small bursts in my yard.

What animal species depend on Yarrow? We want to encourage pollinators and butterflies, but our yarrow is getting a little thick and we are thinking of thinning it out. Any other qualities that are good for its proximity to gardens (repelling pests, encouraging good predator insects, companion plants)?

Rolf, I know of no insect species that depends on yarrow above other plants. It serves generalists that would be served by many other pollen and nectar producing plants, too. The foliage is consumed by some insects. It has no value to other wildlife, as mammals tend to avoid it.

It's growing right outside my office window.

I used to see lots of yarrow growing up in northern Mn but not so much in south central Mn where I now live. This year, however, the roadsides are full of yarrow, all summer. Is it because of the record rainfall after the drought years?