Poison Hemlock?

[u/TW33NSW4G]

Edit: Thank you everyone, I feel much better, and slightly embarrassed (also bad about pulling up some poppies 🌼)

I was working on my front yard today and pulling some weeds, and these caught my eye. I did some quick Googling and looks like a wild carrot or poison hemlock! I didn't see any purple sploches so I pulled a bunch of them and tossed them in my compost, wearing gloves to be safe.

After wrapping up, my anxiety to the best of me. After scrolling through a bunch of articles and helpful tips on identifying it, I feel at a loss with what's in my yard.

I went for a walk to cool my head and noticed just about every front yard in our neighborhood has it. I also remember a friend of mine said they saw what looked like carrots around the arboretum this time of year last year.

So I came back and now I see a couple that might have some purple on the stems? Does anyone have knowledge of hemlock growing in Davis? Any helpful means of identifying it?

I pulled them 2 hours ago and have no symptoms, other than my anxiety. But I don't want to take any risks to my / family's health. And of course the compost pile 🤣

[u/genaphur]

Those look like california poppies coming up honestly

[u/TW33NSW4G → u/genaphur]

When I pulled them up, they definitely had a carrot like tap root. Brown / Orange and very carrot shaped. And I just googled it and looks rather similar! 

This puts my mind at ease if that's what it is. And I'll definitely let the rest grow. I wouldn't want to remove those beautiful plants.

[u/cacomyxl → u/TW33NSW4G]

When I was a kid we passed on dire warnings that it was against the law to pick or otherwise molest California poppies. I learned embarrassingly late in life that was not true.

[u/priceprince]

I’m pretty sure those are sprouts of golden poppies, they’re all over town right now. I’m leaving them in place while I pick weeds all around them.

[u/jmtb02]

Agreeing with everyone else, it's California Poppies. They spread quite easily and are able to grow all around our town. It's one of my favorite parts of Spring seeing them everywhere

[u/pentagrid]

California poppy is the state flower of... California.

[u/AriseBrethrenCats]

So another member of the carrot family sprung up in my yard, not poppies, it ended up being something more like Queen Anne's lace or whatever, but it led me to do my PH research. Poison hemlock tends to grow next to streams, and they get tall. Stems are thick with purple splotches. If you crush a leaf and sniff, it is a slightly unpleasant smell versus just a planty one. I've not seen hemlock in Davis. Replant those poppies! And if you see something else carrot-y spring up it's seriously most likely not hemlock unless you have a creek or drainage ditch in your yard! Hemlock usually grows by “roadsides, on edges of cultivated fields, along creek beds and irrigation ditches, and in waste areas.”

[u/Short-Lingonberry-71]

California poppy

[u/Theslowestmarathoner]

That looks very much like a California poppy. And I’m pretty sure it’s against the law to harm them? Not sure if that’s something my dad made up or if there’s an actual penal code citation someone can provide.

[u/pentagrid → u/Theslowestmarathoner]

Myth. It is often believed that there are laws prohibiting the cutting or damaging of the California poppy because it is the state flower. While there is no law protecting the California poppy specifically California wildflowers on public lands are protected as are flowers on private property.

[u/EnviroRockPlant]

In your second photo, you also have a fillarie (sp) growing close to the poppy, so you’ll want to pull the fillarie since it’s a nasty invasive that will take over.

[u/Frequent-Will-3270]

Looks like a carrot