Nemesis update
Sunday, 4 July 2021
Long-time readers (from last summer) may remember my nemesis, the cow parsnip (Heracleum maximum). This specimen is on the roadside, and may well be the parent of the invaders on our property. When (not if) it gets cooler, I will dig up the ones I find on our place, and, and this is my vow, these too. To (try to) stop the spread.
While somewhat interesting in appearance, this species aggressively multiplies and, worse, is phototoxic to humans, as it has chemicals that are activated by the ultraviolet rays in sunlight, and make skin blister far worse than poison ivy. It must go.
Happy Fourth (as in freedom from British oppressors…but it’s complicated).