Growing in the fence row bed, parsley attracts several species of wildlife. Some swallowtail butterflies use parsley as a host plant for their larvae; their caterpillars are black and green striped with yellow dots, and will feed on parsley for two weeks before turning into butterflies. Bees and other nectar-feeding insects also visit the flowers. Birds such as the goldfinch feed on the seeds.
The word "parsley" is a merger of the Old English petersilie (which is identical to the contemporary German word for parsley:Petersilie) and the Old French peresil, both derived from Medieval Latin petrosilium.