Wandering Aimlessly

Wandering Aimlessly

Wild Parsnip – Ouch

by Phil Burkhouse

 

The woods in our area and across most of Pennsylvania is becoming a more hazardous place to wander in recent years.  I am not referring to hazards like rattlesnakes, rabid critters, bees, ticks, and animals infected with mange.  I am referring to smaller and less noticeable dangers associated with a variety of noxious weeds.

It is alarming to learn that another person we know has been diagnosed with Lyme disease, and woods wanderers are now aware to take precautions to guard against this dreaded disease.  Most people are also aware of the itching and blisters associated with the “leaves of three—let them be” plant known as poison ivy.  Fewer people are aware of the itchiness that can be produced from contact with stinging nettle, and now it’s time to become familiarized with the common weed that has more recently invaded our area known as the wild parsnip.

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