If You See This Plant Growing In Your Yard, Call An Expert To Remove It ASAP

American communities may be forever changed if the invasive species of poison hemlock is not curbed quickly. Unfortunately, this dastardly plant, which resembles beautiful Queen Anne’s Lace, grows quickly and can manage to survive in some of the harshest environments, including alongside highways, fences, and at the edges of farmland that cannot afford another problem to deal with at this time in history.

Nevertheless, poison hemlock is a big problem in the United States – and it’s only to get worse if it isn’t dealt with swiftly.

The plant was originally brought over to America from Europe. Since then, it has grown out of control, officially becoming an invasive species that threatens Americans’ safety and wellbeing. If the plant is accidentally eaten, it can cause a toxic reaction – and with it appearing in American parks, flowerbeds, and backyard gardens, poison hemlock is a threat you need to prepare yourself to face.

“That movement is a bit scary to me because this plant is very toxic, and it’s more of an opportunity for kids to play with it and pets to eat it,” said Dan Shaver with Indiana’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “It is not a plant you want around your home or in your local park.”

The toxic plant, which is classified as a biennial, can be found in most states in the Union as well as in many major parks and wildlife reserves.

According to the National Park Service, “(Poison hemlock) was introduced in the 1800s as a garden plant, marketed as being a ‘winter fern.’ Poison hemlock is highly poisonous to humans and animals. It can act as a pioneer species and quickly colonized disturbed sites. Infestations occur along roadsides, field margins, ditches, marshes, meadows, and low-lying areas, but poison hemlock prefers shaded areas with moist soil.”

If you want to know more about what poison hemlock looks like, here is the description from the National Park Service.

“Poison hemlock is a highly toxic biennial with the musty, unpleasant odor associated with alkaloids. It grows two to ten feet tall. The stems are ribbed and hollow with purplish streaks or splotches. Poison hemlock reproduces by seeds that fall near the plant and disperse via fur, birds, water, and, to a limited extent, wind. Most seeds fall from September through December, but they can fall as late as the end of February. The seeds germinate in the fall, but the plant usually does not produce flowers until the second spring.”

According to Shaver, poison hemlock thrives in moist soil conditions. Many parts of America experienced heavier than average rainfall during the spring and summer months, which will only serve to strengthen the ability for poison hemlock to take root and terrorize the community.

“It just hit this exponential rate of spread,” Shaver said. “Poison hemlock was nowhere, and all of a sudden, it was everywhere.”

In Indiana, for example, poison hemlock has spread so much that it will never be eradicated from the state.

Are you familiar with poison hemlock and the way it looks?