{"id":21549,"date":"2022-07-14T13:31:14","date_gmt":"2022-07-14T17:31:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=21549"},"modified":"2022-08-30T18:43:50","modified_gmt":"2022-08-30T22:43:50","slug":"episode-611-curse-of-the-ginat-hogweed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/?p=21549","title":{"rendered":"EPISODE 611 CURSE OF THE GINAT HOGWEED"},"content":{"rendered":"
EPISODE 611    CURSE OF THE GIANT HOGWEED<\/p>\n

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alan skeoch<\/div>\n
July 14, 2022<\/div>\n

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\u201cPlease just whisper\u2026the GIANT HOGWEED might hear us and then try<\/div>\n
to get us\u2026.deadly plant.  I wonder if John Wyndham used giant hogweed  <\/div>\n
when he wrote Day of the Triffids? Hush!\u201d<\/div>\n

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\"Giant<\/div>\n
Quite pretty when in full floor stage.<\/div>\n

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\"118223.<\/div>\n
Charlotte McLeod wrote a book with Giant  hogweed in mind.  The book<\/div>\n
jacket cover says it all.<\/div>\n

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RETURN OF THE GIANT HOGWEED<\/div>\n

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\u201cMarjorie, The GIANT HOGWEED is back..now ten feet tall.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSame place where we thought it had been killed.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cHow come, Andrew put on overalls and mask and spent a day<\/div>\n
cutting and bagging the cursed plant\u2026then he poured poison down<\/div>\n
the throat of the roots\u2026the giant hoqwwed seemed gone for the<\/div>\n
last couple of years.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cWell the cursed plant fooled us.   Hid for a couple of years. Now it <\/div>\n
is back worse than ever.\u201d<\/div>\n
\u201cSome say the hogweed plant can hide for 15 years then pop up.”<\/div>\n

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Giant hogweed can blend in to its surroundings until it reaches full flowering stage.<\/div>\n

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Hogweed plants are now higher than our ATV.  Seems we just noticed the plants.  But \u201cVroooom!\u201d \u2026.plants are ten  feet high.<\/div>\n

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the hogweed patch is on the far left\u2026hardly noticeable right now..July 14, 2022.  Those gloves are not<\/div>\n
enough protection.  Need full body armour!<\/div>\n

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The return of Gint Hogweed was a mystery until I found a short note saying the seeds of giant hogweed can remain dormant for years and<\/div>\n
then suddenly germinate.   The giant hogweed patch in the farm fencerow cannot be ignored for as much as 15 years.   Yesterday these picture were taken and<\/div>\n
the plants are higher than ten feet already.  That growth happened fast.  So fast that we did not notice until now.  Now 10 feet high\u2026may grow to<\/div>\n
15 feet and even higher.  Getting rid of the plants<\/div>\n
is not easy\u2026.need to cover all flesh so that no sap gets access to flesh.  Particular danger to the eyes.  Do not try to be heroic when destroying<\/div>\n
the plant.  Hogweed will get you before you will get hogweed.<\/div>\n

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WHERE DID GIANT HOGWEED ORIGINATE?<\/div>\n

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Giant Hogweed was a natural plant in the Caucasus Mountain region of Asia.  Victorian gardeners and scientists brought the seeds to Kew<\/div>\n
gardens in the early 19th century.  From there seed companies began selling the seeds as curiosities. It took some time before the<\/div>\n
danger was noticed.  Now considered one of the most dangerous plants on earth.<\/div>\n

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\"Dangerous\"UPDATE\"Health\"Parents<\/div>\n

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Biology<\/h2>\n

Seeds may take several years to germinate and are viable in the soil for up to 15 years. During the first year, the plant produces a rosette of leaves up to one metre high. After 2 to 5 years the plant produces flowers. As it grows a large root, thick hollow stems and large lobed leaves are formed. The stems of the plant are covered with reddish-purple flecks and stiff hairs filled with sap. Sap may also collect in the hollow stem bases. Giant hogweed flowers once in its lifetime, unless the flower clusters are damaged before opening. Once the plant produces seeds it dies. Each plant can produce up to 120,000 winged seeds (typically 50,000). Seeds dropped in streams can float for three days. They can move long distances via water in ditches and streams. Seeds can also be spread up to 10 metres by the wind.<\/p>\n

\"Giant
Giant hogweed stem. Note coarse hairs.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo courtesy of Ron Black, NDMNRF<\/abbr><\/p>\n

Natural resource impacts<\/h2>\n

There is evidence that Giant hogweed can shade out native plants, although scientists have not done extensive research on its impact in Ontario or Canada. In the United Kingdom it grows in areas bordering lakes, streams, and wetlands and causes rocks, soil and other material on stream banks to fall into streams. This threatens salmon spawning sites. Similar impacts may occur in Ontario.<\/p>\n

Health concerns<\/h2>\n

The clear watery sap of Giant hogweed contains toxins that can cause severe dermatitis (inflammation of the skin). You can get severe burns if you get the sap on your skin and the skin is then exposed to sunlight. Symptoms occur within 48 hours and consist of painful blisters. Purplish scars may form that last for many years. Eye contact with the sap has been reported (in the media and by various web sites) to cause temporary or permanent blindness. However, evidence of permanent blindness linked to exposure to Giant hogweed cannot be substantiated by any existing research. Coming in contact with Cow parsnip and Wild parsnip can cause similar reactions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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EPISODE 611    CURSE OF THE GIANT HOGWEED alan skeoch July 14, 2022 \u201cPlease just whisper\u2026the GIANT HOGWEED might hear us and then try to get us\u2026.deadly plant.  I wonder if John Wyndham used giant hogweed   when he wrote Day of the Triffids? Hush!\u201d Quite pretty when in full floor stage. Charlotte McLeod wrote […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21549","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21549","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=21549"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21549\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=21549"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=21549"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alanskeoch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=21549"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}