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Giant hogweed (Heracleum mantegazzianum) is an invasive herb in the carrot family which was originally brought to North America from Asia and has since become established in the New England, Mid-Atlantic, and Northwest regions of the United States. Giant hogweed grows along streams and rivers and in fields, forests, yards and roadsides, and a giant hogweed plant can reach 14 feet or more in height with compound leaves up to 5 feet in width.
Giant Hogweed sap contains toxic chemicals known as Furanocoumarins. When these chemicals come into contact with the skin and are exposed to sunlight, they cause a condition called Phytophotodermatitis, a reddening of the skin often followed by severe blistering and burns. These injuries can last for several months, and even after they have subsided the affected areas of skin can remain sensitive to light for years. Furanocoumarins are also carcinogenic and teratogenic, meaning they can cause cancer and birth defects. The sap can also cause temporary (or even permanent) blindness if introduced into the eyes.
If someone comes into physical contact with Giant Hogweed, the following steps should be taken:
Wash the affected area thoroughly with soap and COLD water as soon as possible.
Keep the exposed area away from sunlight for 48 hours.
If Hogweed sap gets into the eyes, rinse them with water and wear sunglasses.
See a doctor if any sign of reaction sets in.
If a reaction occurs, the early application of topical steroids may lessen the severity of the reaction and ease the discomfort. The affected area of skin may remain sensitive to sunlight for a few years, so applying sun block and keeping the affected area shielded from the sun whenever possible are sensible precautions
PLEASE, DO NOT JUST READ AND SCROLL! THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT AND POTENTIALLY LIFE-SAVING INFORMATION!!!
Extra note: if you live in Oregon, New Jersey, Michigan or New York and see one of these, call your state’s department of agriculture to report it, and trained professionals will come kill it before it can produce seeds and spread.
Frankly, if you see one in general, probably call your DOA and see if there’s a program in place.
Do not burn it, because the smoke will give you the same reaction.
If for some ungodly reason there isn’t a professional who can handle it for you (and please, please use a professional), the DOA of New York has [this guide] for how to deal with it yourself.
OH MY FUCK I HAVE THESE IN MY BACKYARD.
Fucking invasives. Signal boost.
Re-reblogging because I checked Snopes, and not only is this shit true, but the text on this is pretty much the same as it is there! Stay safe, kiddos.
According to the US Department of Agriculture, these are currently the states and provinces in North America where Giant Hogweed is present. Even if your state/province is “clear” that doesn’t mean that it is not there. If you see Giant Hogweed in your yard or anywhere please call your DOA! This stuff is mad deadly!
Also here is a human for size reference. Since they are huge it should be easy enough to see and spot when fully grown.
The burns can also be very bad, far worse than any poison ivy. Just Google ‘Giant Hogweed Burns’ and you’ll see. It can cause bad blistering, red painful rashes, and more. Please be careful of this plant!
They exist in Austria and Germany too. Please be careful!
Also, if you are in the Iowa/Minnesota area (maybe farther, I don’t exactly know), there is a close relative (also invasive) with yellow flowers called wild parsnip.
It only gets to about half the size of giant hogweed but has all the same toxic effects. The plants in the pictures look small but I’ve seen ones at least 6 feet tall with stems two inches thick.
A lot of pictures available of giant hogweed are fullsized and in bloom. Just because it lacks the flowers doesn’t mean it’s not hogweed! It is dangerous well before that point.
As seen above, another important detail when identifying them can be the stems. They often have this reddish speckling, and are covered in bristly hairs. Like the rest of the plant, you should absolutely not touch them either.
You can see here how the redness is mostly on larger, older portions of the stems.
For those of you in Ontario, here is a link to some more information via Ontario’s Invading Species Awareness Program . It has details on the plant’s growth, removal methods, and groups you can report sightings to.
Unfortunately I lack information on herbicide use, but if the responsibility of removing giant hogweed somehow falls to the owner, please research local laws/restrictions concerning the use of things such as glyphosate (roundup). It is always possible to make things worse instead of better, so exercise caution in all areas, not just the handling/disposal of the plant.
This is not bullshit. My sister works for the Cooperative Extension in New York and this is a big P.R. focus for them. They have trouble because somebody may spot some of these on a neighbor’s property and call it in, but they can’t get permission to go in and take it out because the neighbors think it’s “pretty” or they “natural” and want it to stay.
Here’s another thing about it that makes it dangerous and maybe might scare some people into doing something about it: this time of year, (winter) the dried stuff is tailor-made for attracting kids: long, light, jointed. It looks like bamboo and they will use it to frame up little huts, make beaded necklaces, use as “sword.”, etc. The worst is it’s hollow which makes it perfect for BLOW GUNS. Imagine getting that stuff on your lips….
I work at an environmental science college and can also confirm this. This stuff is bad bad bad news.
To all you aspiring herbalists and just nature adventurers: please, pelase be careful
I’ve brushed up against this stuff and it fucked me up for about two months. And the scars lasted for a year and a half after that
What the FUCK!?? THESE ARE IN MY FYCKKKIGN YAAARD?!?!?! OUT BACK ?!
oH FUUUUUUUUUUUUUU
Tis the season for giant hogweed warnings, my friends.
Everybody please remember not to go out whacking around in the bush unless you know how to identify your local toxic plants. And please, for the love of it, wear pants! Hogweed will fuck you up, please report if you see it, but wild parsnip, poison ivy and poison oak are no fun game either.
This little quiz can show you, even poison ivy can be tricky to ID. Stay safe!
“So, the joke goes something like–
(and stop me if you’ve heard this one before)
it goes something like, two kids with depression
walk into a relationship. Now, the bartender asks–
wait, shit, sorry. See, there isn’t any bartender, ‘cause,
let’s be honest: they’re not doing their drinking by the glass,
they’re doing it by the bottle. Okay. Okay, so,
the therapist says—but I mean, who can afford
a therapist, these days? But the antidepressants,
the antidepressants say,
“I haven’t worked in two years, but
my list of side effects is too long
for you to ever leave me. I
am where you learned to be needed.”
So they’re coping. Of course,
she’s forgotten how to talk about herself
in first person, while he
offers up his life’s story like it’s a joke
only he finds funny. Turns out
the world is just as heavy
on two sets of shoulders.
Two kids with depression walk into a supermarket.
Two kids with depression walk into a doctor’s office,
walk into a brick wall, walk into
the same bad day three hundred and fifty six times
and call it normal.
The only thing I know about this punchline
is that I’m not gonna like it. That it looks
like a hurricane of nothing.
Of repetition.
Of wake up, wake up, wake up.
Of moving just fast enough to be considered alive,
but only in the way a houseplant is considered alive,
or a creeper vine. Plenty of things are still here
simply because they don’t know how not to be.
My boyfriend talks about death like a place
he has tried to visit—like a destination
he is always pointed towards, even when
it is not the place he is going. For me,
I don’t bother aiming for an ending when,
most days, I don’t feel like I ever started.
What I mean is–
Depression is ugly.
And it’s easy to backslide when you
are trying to climb mountains,
but that does not make you a failure.
Two kids with depression woke up this morning,
walked all the way to tomorrow and the day after that.
Two kids with depression are still walking.
That might not sound like much to you.
What I mean is
we’re a couple of fighters
and we are still here.
In spite of everything.
Or maybe because of it.
What I mean is
suicide is not cowardice, but
it is, without a doubt, an act of bravery
to survive.”
I feel we talk about signs of abuse from the victims standpoint but not from the abusers standpoint. In order to stop emotional abuse and recognize when we engage in unhealthy behaviors I made this list.
Do you react to important people in your life by ignoring them completely and not acknowledging their presence? Especially if they do something you don’t like?
Do you feel that your partner/friends/family members are the cause of your bad moods or frustration?
Does your partner/etc “do things the wrong way”?
Do criticize your partner/etc for being unreliable or a bad person?
Do you feel you have to constantly overlook your partners flaws in order to be around them?
Are you frequently accused of being “moody” or “hard to please”?
Do your partners complain that “nothing they do is good enough?
Do your partners appear to avoid you when you are angry or upset rather then comfort you?
Do you negatively comment on their intelligence or appearence? Either in private or in front of others.
Do you blame them when someone goes wrong?
Do you ever use phrases like “I could just hit you right now” or “I”m so mad I could punch something”?
Do you ever punch walls/throw things in front of your partner/etc?
Do you leave during fights and not inform of where you are going and when you will be back?
Do you behave the same alone with your partner that you do if you were in front of your friends or in public?
Have you frequently accused your partner of being too sensitive?
How often is your partner praised and complimented by yourself?
Do you think your partner spends too much time with friends and family?
Do you feel your partners friends and family are trying to drive you apart?
Do you actively comfort your partner when they are upset or angry even if you don’t really understand why they feel the way they do?
If your partner brings up a behavior that bothers them do you respond by discussing how to change it or do you respond defensively?
Do you have difficulty apologizing?
All of these things are abuse tactics. Obviously even the healthiest of us will do these sometimes but if any one becomes a regular habit that’s when the problem starts.
this is super important, i feel like this website makes it easy to put yourself in the role of the victim but never the abuser. It’s also important to note that being a victim does not preclude you from being an abuser.
I find this esp. important. I’ve exhibited some of these behaviors. I know abuse perpetuates abuse and that victims of abuse learn abusive behavior. I also know that having mental illness can make reacting and dealing with feelings even more difficult. That being said: being mentally ill does not mean you cannot be held accountable for your actions. Nor does being a survivor of abuse. I gotta take care of myself & heal and recognize how trauma and mental illness plays a role in how I treat others. Being a victim doesn’t mean you cannot be an abuser too.
