Essex, New York - July 19, 2011
It's some gardening that Grace MacLeod is glad she never got to outside her home in Essex.
"I thought gee, that's a horrible looking plant. I have to get in and pull it," she said with a laugh. "Glad I didn't!"
And biologists say it is a good thing she did not touch the giant hogweed.
"It causes severe skin blisters if it comes in contact with your skin... It is ten times worse than poison ivy," said Brendan Quirion of the Adirondack Park Invasive Plant Program. "If you get the sap in your eyes, it can cause blindness in severe cases."
Giant hogweed is also known to choke out other vegetation. This is the third documented discovery of the invasive species in the Adirondacks. The first was five years ago in Old Forge. And just last week, the giant hogweed was found less than a mile away near the Essex Ferry Dock.
"Some of the digging we have done, it appears this plant was brought here by an individual to his garden and distributed the seeds to other landowners in the area and we think that is how it established itself in Essex," Quirion said.
To kill off these giant hogweed plants, crews first removed the heads of the two tallest plants which contain 20,000 seeds. The rest of the plants were then treated with herbicide. The scientists say it will likely take three or four years before the giant hogweed at this location is fully eradicated because the root and seed systems are so complex.
"The size of these infestations shows that it isn't far spread," Quirion said.
But the state wants the help of homeowners to help find any giant hogweed that may remain.
"The things I usually look for are the red blotches on the stem and the size of the plants are huge. This is a rather small one. They can get up to 14-feet tall. Also, along the stems are coarse hairs. The leaves can be massive-- 2-feet wide-- and the flower heads can also be that large."
The state has set up a Hogweed Hotline -- 845-256-3111 -- www.dec.ny.gov/animals/39809.html
Matt Henson - WCAX News
