Stearns county along # 94 and todd county- along highway 11, highway 27 and highway 2. I have seen much of these plants spread in the past couple years- I've recently sprayed/pulled out as much as I could on my land and the neighbors land; listen to the directions offered...use the protective clothing. I don't believe cutting them as they seed kills them- like thistle, I believe the energy stored is still used in the plant to produce the seeds to a mature state in which they will continue to reproduce the following year.

Prevalent in ditches leading up to the Zumbro Falls Woods SNA...

We found these in our roadside ditches about two years ago. We are in SW Douglas County very near Pope Cty. Dug and pulled them but they had already spread across the road so hard to control. Will a good broadleaf spray kill them?

I suggest starting here for info on various control methods: Midwest Invasive Plant Network.

I found a few rosettes coming up in my flower garden in summer 2012. I weeded them out because I didn't know what they were. This summer I let one plant develop to flowering so that I could identify it. I will weed them out with more vigor now that I realize that this is a noxious invader.

This plant is becoming more and more of a problem. There are some large areas of it around the town of Windom. We just recently found some first year rosettes in our prairie; we will be making every effort to keep it from becoming established.

I think I just got a this on my hands as it looks like the huge blisters that all the pictures show. I am not sure at all where I got it as I didn't notice any strange plants in my little garden of flowers.

Meeker county along HWY 15 south between Dassel and Hutchinson. Meeker county is loaded with it!

This is all over the bike trail in New Ulm as well as in roadside ditches.

Wild parsnip was in practically all of the roadside ditches between Rochester and Lanesboro as of July, 2016. Seems to have choked out much else. I am wondering whether planting parsnip in my vegetable gardens will hasten the spread of wild parsnip.

I believe there are several clusters along county road 150. I took pictures and the leaves match.

I have at least 6 isolated plants throughout my meadows. I did not notice these last year. One plant already has a flower head.

The wild parsnip is very thick along roadside ditches of Highway 11 and 71 by Pelland going east to International Falls. It has invaded the adjacent woodlands and area home lots along the Littlefork River. We need help to control it. Sprays might hurt pollinators. Mechanical means of control are safest for the environment.

New this year in a garden bed that had become weedy from non-use last season. Thought it was dill at first. Have not seen this plant in surrounding fields or ditches.

Found several plants (3-5 ft high) along gravel road and ditch. These were not present last summer.

I noted that many seed heads appear to have lost their seeds by the end of the first week in September. Do the plants just drop their seeds or birds in taking the seeds and promoting their distribution. The plants appear to spread quickly through a meadow. Do birds facilitate seed distribution?

I have been having very good success this year using the shovel called.the parsnip predator. I've used the shovel on queen Anne lace, parsnip, and burdock all with.no regrowth so far. I started in on the burdock in early may so regrowth should have happened by now. Wear long pants, long sleeves and gloves. You don't want any sap to touch your skin or you will get burned with parsnip and queen Anne lace. I have also been able to hand pull parsnip after a good rain though not always. I volunteer getting invasives out of various parks.

Does Roundup kill the plants.

Barb, Roundup is intended for perennials. Wild parsnip is a biennial so chemical treatment will only kill this year's plants preventing further seed production, which is a good thing but not enough to wipe it out. The biggest problem with annuals and biennials is the seed bank, which Roundup doesn't affect. If you have a large infestation it can take years to deplete.

I've been fighting this in my gardens for 2 years. Last night saw a large group along County Road 4 just east of Pocket Lake and south of Lake Mary.

I have a "non-garden" garden area and each year something different comes up. This year the wild parsnip came up. Nuf said!

Is wild parsnip a different plant from garden parsnip? Wis DNR list Wild Parsnip as Pastinaca sativa subspecies (pratesis) My garden catalog (Johnny's) lists garden parsnip as Pastinaca sativa, without the subspecies notation. Thanks, Chad

Chad, they are the same species; var. pratensis is a synonym for P. sativa (no var.). Please do not plant it.

I thought it was dill until a neighbor educated me. It is just starting to invade from our other neighbor's property. I've seen it here and there in roadside ditches.

we drove up county road 39, near Blackduck to look at the showy lady slippers and botany bog. the parking lot has wild parsnip growing. UGH!!!!!

I just want to chime in and say that this plant has edible and actually very tasty roots - just like garden parsnip. Maybe some of the vehemence many of you have for this "obnoxious weed" that results in the application of toxic chemicals (chemicals which negatively affect entire ecosystems, watersheds, other plants, animals, and humans alike) could instead be funneled into something bit more creative and nourishing: eating the invasives! Since it's in the Umbelliferae family it's crucial to have a 100% positive ID before ingesting them, but this plant really has very little resemblance to any poisonous relatives, and is so abundant and tasty.

Emma, the vehemence for this plant little, if anything, to do with toxic chemicals that might be applied to it, but the fact that it is invasive, ubiquitous, and causes severe burns if the sap from broken stems and leaves gets on your skin. It is foolish to suggest the thousands of acres infested with this invader in Minnesota alone should be left alone so a handful of foragers can harvest it. If you want to cultivate it, do it in your own yard and leave the natural areas out of it. Please.

Found a patch adjacent to a path in Louisville swamp. If I want to eradicate it, would the parks board allow me to dig it up (with the proper PPE)? I fear for the safety of people and pets as it is so close to the path, also seems to be a smaller infestation as of now.

Martina, Louisville Swamp is not part of the county park system, but the National Wildlife Refuge, under the control of the US Fish and Wildlife Service. I personally have no issue with someone hand pulling weeds but taking a shovel in would not be advised. I believe the info posted in the parking area has contact info. You should at least report the infestation.

Found last summer (2020) and again this spring (2021) in our prairie that we planted 5 years ago.

This is a feral form of the cultivated parsnip. Both are the same species and both contain furocoumarins (as do several other Apiaceae). If cultivated parsnip is allowed to go to seed you can expect to find it showing up here and there in and outside of the vegetable garden. Dig the roots out in the early spring then roast and enjoy.

A large patch infested a boulevard native plant bed near Minnnehaha Falls. Thicker in areas with decaying leaves.

I've been seeing this all over ditches in Rice County. I've started pulling it nearby (with protective clothing). At first I was worried if it was golden alexander, but the iNaturalist phone app helps with identification.

Wild parsnip is definitely in Kandiyohi and McLeod Counties. They should be added to the distribution map.

Marsh, the current county distribution map is more than 8 years old. Parsnip has traveled a lot since then. A new map will come eventually.