I found a patch of Giant Hogweed.
I thought it was cow parsnip, until I realized how big it was getting.
It is another plant to add to the list of hazards to be aware of. It is in Northern Ontario now too.
The sap makes your skin burn when exposed to the sun or other UV light sources. Apparently it can cause such deep blisters that they leave holes. It can also cause permanent dark colored scars.
http://www.kingcounty.gov/environment/an...nt-hogweed.aspx

This makes me wonder what you guys would list as the ten most dangerous plants.

Giant Hogweed w/GIANT PICTURES of hogweed!


That stuff is HUGE!

The Conservationist, the magazine put out by the NY State DEC did a piece on Giant Hogweed a year or so. Apparently it's not so uncommon in New York.

A plant bigger than me that will give me third degree burns if I rub up against it? I find that stuff kind of terrifying!

Probably half the plants in existence are toxic in some form, at some stage, or in certain amounts. Education (esp of children) and awareness is more important than eradication.

North American plants that are toxic to some degree by contact:

* Bull Nettle (Cnidoscolus stimulosus)
* Blue-green Algae (in water) (Cyanophyta)
* Wood Nettle (Laportea canadensis)
* Black Poison Wood (Metopium toxiferum)
* Poison Ivy, Poison Oak, Poison Sumac (Toxicodendron species)
* Stinging Nettle (Urtica dioica)

Our world is not a safe place, so people should get used to it. Why, even the PEOPLE are dangerous!

Thanks for the heads-up on this one. Yikes!

Good points Sue.
I had not been thinking about the algae. People have died from swimming in water with algae blooms happening. Even though it is a rare event it is something to be aware of. Dogs are even more susceptible.
http://www.discovermoosejaw.com/index.ph...&Itemid=403

There are a lot of other ways algae can kill too. Almost all the deadly toxins in clams are from algae.