![\"Photo](\"http:\/\/naturalcrooks.com\/rambles\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/06\/GiantHogweedYoungonNaturalCrooksDotCom.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nHowever, like all plants, Giant Hogweed starts small. In fact, it is a biennial and doesn\u2019t usually bloom until its second year. It was two of these younger plants that I spotted recently in among the huge burdock leaves in Lakeside Park.<\/p>\n
Giant Hogweed can be genuinely dangerous. If the sap comes into contact with skin, it reacts. A few days later, particularly if that damaged skin is exposed to sunlight, a horrible blistering rash develops. It can cause serious damage and permanent scarring. Because it takes several days to develop a person may not even know they have been exposed.<\/p>\n
Gruesome photos of affected persons can be looked up on the internet.<\/p>\n
While it\u2019s difficult to imagine accidentally trampling down or against a plant taller than you are, it is quite possible to walk bare-legged into it while it\u2019s still only two feet tall. I nearly did. It\u2019s only because I prefer to step around plants rather than risk damaging them by treading on them that I noticed the young Hogweed in the first place.<\/p>\n You can see photos of some other plants often mistaken for Giant Hogweed on the iNaturalist.org website<\/strong><\/a> if you click on the Similar Species tab.<\/p>\n Because people could go blind from extreme exposure to Giant Hogweed, and because it is still a new invasive, most regions are trying to exterminate the plants before they spread and settle in.<\/p>\n Poison ivy is quite common in most parks I\u2019ve visited in southern Ontario that have naturalized areas. Several species of birds eat poison ivy berries and drop the seeds in new spots as they fly. Poison ivy also comes in a variety of styles and shapes that make it easy to overlook.<\/p>\n Note the almost toothless leaves on THIS plant.<\/em><\/p>\n Here are some views of the bumper crop growing in Arkendo Park, Oakville. The most luxurious plants are along the edge of the beach where the creek meets the Lake.<\/p>\n<\/a>\u00a0 <\/a><\/p>\n<\/a><\/p>\nLess Deadly but Much More Itchy Poison Ivy is Common throughout Southern Ontario<\/h2>\n
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