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I found these with yellow flowers in the field past my backyard nearby a tiny stream. After attempting to identify it using Virginia Tech weed id tool, it looks like its wild parsnip, and gotta be careful with it? (At least not let kids go near it?) I'm based in Northern Virginia. Thanks.
No, the plant is a wildflower native to parts of Virgina called Golden Alexanders (yes, "Alexanders" is correct). Its botanical name is Zizia aurea. How do I know it's not wild parsnip? First, the height is too short. Golden Alexanders blooms anywhere from 1-2 feet tall while parsnip blooms at 3-5 feet tall. Secondly, the leaves aren't correct for parsnip but are correct for Zizia. Third, parsnip doesn't bloom this early (in Wisconsin, it's a June bloomer; I would expect it to bloom in May in Virginia, unless you're in the mountains). Here's an article from Minnesota that may help with the ID. Here's a link from that article with photos of Zizia, including one with Golden Alexanders and Parsnip together.
