I recently heard about this and realized that where we walk ( several trails and paths in the area) there are so many wildflowers growing. I was assuming it was all Queen Anne's Lace, which I always admired but never picked or touched. Now I will be certain not to touch it. I looked at the photos and read about the purple color but I don't think I have seen it. Anyway a very good reminder.

queen anne's lace is considered a weed here, and it actually has an official weed destruction, deadl-with-by date ... but few bother.

Thanks for mentioning it. I didn't know about it. I found this:

https://local12.com/news/local/man-has-spent-more-than-40-days-on-ventilator-after-handling-invasive-plant-species-cincinnati

I had one pop up in my garden a few years ago. At first I wasn't sure if it was something I had planted and forgotten, but in a short time it was growing crazy fast and getting huge! I actually posted a pic here in the GardenWeb "Name that Weed" forum where it was quickly identified. Fortunately I was able to use precautions, and pulled it out without any issues. I haven't seen one since.

In which states can you find it?

MN - definitely in Rice and Goodhue counties. Not sure about other parts of the state.

The article said that it was growing in almost all states.

It is such a dangerous plant. That is partly because it looks so innocent and looks so much like queen anns lace. Beware!

Another thing to beware of as we head into the Fall are stinging catapillars. Here in the mid Atlantic there is one that is around that if you merely touch it, it will send stinging barbs. My grown daughter got stung by on one last year and it really hurt. You dont even see them until they shoot their barbs . You may never even see it at all.

Hubs had some type of stinging critter fall onto the back of his neck while sitting under a tree on the deck. It was really painful and itchy for a good long time. We never did find what it was but he says that he felt something land on his neck and then felf the sting. He swiped at it. It was not a single point of attack, rather it looked more like a rash.

According to a recent blog I read (when I just googled Queen Anne's Lace vs Wild Hemlock), it is found in almost every state. This says that Poison Hemlock will have purple blotches on the stems ( and often purple stems) and is hairy. "On the other hand, the stem of Queen Anne's lace doesn't have purple blotches and is hairy. "

How to tell the difference ((hopefully))

Poison hemlock is a 2 year plant. The first year, it has no flower stem and is not tall. In the second year, it puts up a thick flower stem, makes seeds, and dies. One plant can produce up ti 30,000 seeds.

The Hemlock's flower stem is much thicker than Queen Anne's Lace and is covered with small purple spots. Its blossom is very similar to Queen Anne's Lace.

If you decide to remove or destroy a plant, search on-line for instructions because mere contact with the plant can cause skin rash. Ingesting any part of the plant is bad, and that includes breathing in particles such as pollen or plant flakes. Do not cut down a patch of it with a power weed whip as this throws up small particles in the air.

Really good info, thank you! I am surrounded by Queen Anne's Lace and had no idea what hemlock looked like. I confirmed what I'm seeing is safe but now I know what to look for.

Wild parsnip is all around me too, as was a patch of giant hogweed. I never heard of either as a kid and played with plants all summer long. The vegetation is now trying to kill us too. Ha.

I'm having trouble with "is is" and I can't figure out what you intend by this.

It reminds me of when Obama would say "is is" such as in a sentence like "The problem is is that..." and I never understood why he used the double "is." Maybe you can explain this for me! It does seem to amplify poison to me.

Lars, I assumed it meant "is it poison hemlock."

😁

The typos I make myself anymore are embarrassing. I always proofread and still often miss things. Between autocorrect and the wonkiness of this site I'm impressed when I find a post without errors.