Hogweed update

The presence of Giant Hogweed has now been confirmed in Alexandria, as well as Clarke, Fauquier and Rockingham counties, but experts at the Virginia Tech and Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) say the toxic weed was intentionally planted by homeowners and is not spreading.

“There’s not cause for widespread worry. It’s growing where it’s been planted from what we’ve seen,” said Virginia Tech’s Michael Flessner, a weed science specialist.