Poison hemlock found near Red Run Drain in Warren
When Warren resident Heather Slayton noticed what she thought was Queen Anne’s lace growing on the banks of the Red Run Drain near her home, she thought about picking a bouquet of wildflowers. But upon closer inspection, Slayton saw the plant was not Queen Anne’s lace but poison hemlock.
“Something about it did not look quite right,” said Slayton. “I noticed there were red blotches on the stem and I thought that had to be a diagnostic feature. I was really surprised when I found out it was poison hemlock and how horrible it is.”
All parts of poison hemlock are toxic if ingested by humans, pets, livestock or wildlife.
If ingested it can cause tremors, breathing problems and paralysis. It can also cause blistering if the stem of the plant is broken and touched and is known as the substance that killed philosopher Socrates.
Poison hemlock is extremely invasive with each individual plant able to produce 38,000 seeds that can be viable in soil for six years.
“The seeds can get caught in the treads of shoes, in mowing equipment and in animal fur,” said Kirsten Lyons, Director of Lake St. Clair Cooperative Invasive Species Management Area (CISMA).
Slayton immediately recognized the potential of poison hemlock to spread and she reported her finding to the Midwest Invasive Species Information Network in 2020. When she noticed a poison hemlock plant in her yard this year and several of the toxic plants popping up in the wooded area near her home, she contacted CISMA and spoke to Lyons.
“A lot of us walk in those woods, and there is a power line easement and that is one of the areas where I see the poison hemlock starting to spread,” said Slayton. “Those are areas where the deer bed down and I worry about my neighbors too. It’s scary. I’m just very passionate about all of this.”
Lyons plans to visit Slayton and tour the area near the Red Run where poison hemlock is prevalent. She said the area was treated in 2021 but that this particular invasive plant is extremely difficult to manage.
“There are actually nine different invasive species along the Red Run,” said Lyons. “Unfortunately, poison hemlock is very tricky to control. We have to be persistent and it takes a few years to bring it under control.”
While it is important to control invasive species, CISMA must also be mindful of not removing so much foliage that erosion on the banks of the Red Run becomes a concern. Lyons said she does not forsee a situation where the Red Run banks would be laid bare.
“This is only our second year of treatment so we are pretty early in the process and are not sure how effective what we are doing is going to be,” said Lyons. “We are constantly monitoring and adjusting. Our plan is to treat, monitor and then seed the area with native wildflower seeds.”