www.ukbutterflies.co.uk

Trev posted a warning about ticks. Here's another thing to watch out for this summer - the giant hogweed.

This beautiful plant turns very, very nasty if you come into contact with its sap. Normally, it is easy to avoid this, because the plant is huge and visible, but if it has been cut back you might not notice it. Last summer I had the misfortune to kneel on some cut hogweed while photographing butterflies and I got the sap all over the exposed parts of my legs and arms (I didn't notice until later). It reacts with the sun and causes blisters like the ones below on my hand - I had similar blisters everywhere the plants had touched (that was a 'shorts' day).

It looks like a massive cow parsley:


This one was nearly twice as tall as me.





Guy

Ouch, that does look nasty!

A volunteer at a work party I know got some sap on him and ended up at the hospital with what they called "third degree burns". Horrible.

Nasty!... Looks like 'butterflying' should be added to the category of 'Dangerous Sports'

Trev

I discovered this plant having fallen down a hill in Wales.. right onto the b....y stuff... something you definitely don't forget!

Even ordinary hogweed can cause blisters if sap gets on skin in the sunshine. And another one to watch out for is wild parsnip! These problems can occur when vegetation is being strimmed down.

That is quite a story, Felix - I had no idea other members of the carrot family did this too. That means I've actually no idea what plant caused my reaction. I didn't visit a doctor but just observed the blisters and noticed that they never spread to any part that hadn't been exposed on the day I supposed the problem to have started (so ruling out fungal or other infection, which could have spread to covered parts). I added tea tree oil to my bathwater and applied tea tree oil daily to prevent infection taking hold and it sounds as if I got off lightly.

Guy