Wild parsnip is back, causing blisters on those who touch it

By Connor Lynch
Watch out for the yellow-flowered, umbrella-shaped wild parsnip weed because you can expect to find them just about anywhere in Eastern Ontario.

Municipalities across Eastern Ontario have focused on control, not eradication. The City of Ottawa sprayed along 260 km of roadway in 2015 to combat the weed, which can be found everywhere in Canada except Nunavut.

Farmers are more likely than most to encounter the invasive plant, so it pays to know what you’re looking for and what to do. The plant’s sap, as well as the roots and seeds, cause extreme sensitivity to light, which can result in huge blisters forming within 48 hours if you get the sap on your skin.

The plant grows as tall as five feet, and forms a distinctive umbrella shape of tiny flowers on individual stalks, from 15 to 25. Each stalk has a small flower head. The leaves of the plant are also eye-catching: they grow out opposite one another along the stalk, and have distinctive, saw-toothed edges. It typically blooms from June to October.

If you touch wild parsnip, try to wash your hands with soap and water right away to get the sap off. Keep your skin out of the light, and drape a cool cloth over it. If blisters do form and burst, try to keep the skin in place and apply an antibiotic cream to prevent infection.