Alexanders, or Horse Parsley

A good day. I was up to light the woodburner in the barn and worked for a few hours. Then I had a cancelled session and time to do a bit of spring cleaning and have a snack before we went out.
We met our dear longtime friend MJ down in Cromer for a cup of coffee in the Rocket House Cafe before a good walk along the beach to Overstrand and back along the cliffs. There was a marvellous light and dramatic clouds.
The gorse is flowering everywhere  on the cliffs, with its yellow flowers and striking coconut scent. Almost as noticeable were the stands of Alexanders (Horse Parsley) which was originally a cultivated plant but runs wild all over the cliffs tops, along the roadsides and tries to infiltrate my garden. It is rather pretty in its way, but it's a toughie which can colonise and drive out other native plants. I have dug up a few facts about it from the website of The Eden Project.

Alexanders, also known as Alisanders or horse parsley, grows on cliff tops and in seaside hedgerows. In the spring it produces yellow-green flowers and, in the autumn, black seeds. It grows to a height of 50 to 120cms with a hollow and grooved stem
April and May is the perfect time to forage for Alexanders (Smyrnium olusatrum), a wild food which grows on cliff tops and in seaside hedgerows.
The beautiful, lime green plant was introduced to the UK by the Romans, who called it the ‘pot herb of Alexandria’, because every part of it is edible. People say it tastes similar to angelica and parsley, but there are many different ways of bringing out its flavour.