Plant ID please! Worried it's hogweed 😱

[TrickyGoldfinch]

Hiya, there have been lots of warnings for Scotland about giant hogweed springing up everywhere - we have a huge tree down the back of the garden with the characteristic white flowers so I was panicking a bit (neighbour's grandchildren play there regularly). I've had a look online and I don't think the leaves match hogweed, but could anyone tell me what this is and if it's poisonous? It's very tall, maybe about 9 or 10 feet.

Elder - as in delicious elderflower cordial. Much more pleasant than giant hogweed!

Giant hogweed isn’t a tree. It’s a tall single stem topped with an umbel of flowers

Enjoy your elderflower, OP

Definitely elderflower

That’s elder.

As po, Giant hogweed has a hollow stem. It’s like enormous cow parsley.

So much later than ours up in your neck of the woods!

Elder tree. Black berries in September, the birds love them

It’s also the tree of the Goddess! You mustn’t burn the wood
“Elder is the Lady’s tree
Burn it not or cursed you’ll be”.

Amazing, thanks so much everyone!

We get loads of hogweed near us and it's not like that at all. More like cow parsley or I believe it looks like angelica? It's not a huge problem though, as long as you don't touch the leaves. The council sprays it along the footpaths which puts pay to it.

@FictionalCharacter

It’s also the tree of the Goddess! You mustn’t burn the wood “Elder is the Lady’s tree Burn it not or cursed you’ll be”.

Love that quote!

Yes it's elder.
It's often seen as protective.

It's elder!!

Another one swinging bu to advise you to harvest those flowers for delicious elderflower wine.

The elderflowers are out in full force here. Definitely elder.

@feliciabirthgiver I'll be making cordial tomorrow

Or wait for the berries and make jelly.