Summer is a great time for gardening. There’s nothing like seeing the yard come alive with beautiful flowers, delicious fruits and vegetables, and decorative plants. However, every gardener knows one specific pain – weeds! Those pesky, unwanted plants that pop up and never seem to go away! Sometimes, it seems like I spend half the time pulling up dandelions only for three more to take their place. But for Iowa gardeners, one weed is of more concern than the rest this summer. Did you know you can find poison hemlock in Iowa gardens? This harmless-looking flowering plant may look attractive, but it’s highly toxic and should be removed with caution. The poisonous plant has a dark history and can now be found in all 50 states. Here’s everything you need to know if it shows up in your garden.

Most weeding efforts just involve removing unwanted intruders from a garden, but certain plants take a little more effort.
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Poison Hemlock, also known as wild hemlock, is a biennial flowering plant related to carrots. However, it contains a highly potent toxin.
Twistedpictures1/Wikipedia
If you see these telltale flowers in your yard, proceed with caution - the plant contains poisonous alkaloids, making consumption by mammals potentially lethal.
Djtanng/Wikipedia
It's most poisonous in the spring, when the toxins are at their peak.
During late summer, you can see the seed heads, making this a good chance to uproot the plant before it spreads and returns in larger numbers next year.
Totnesmartin/Wikipedia
Hemlock is highly toxic - with only six Hemlock leaves being enough to kill an adult human. Most famously, Hemlock was the poison that Greek philosopher Socrates was forced to drink.
Jacques Louis-David/Wikipedia
Poison Hemlock is the most pressing threat, but keep an eye out for other hazardous plants - such as stinging nettles, which are coated with small bristles that can cause intense pain.
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Have you spotted poison hemlock in Iowa gardens before? Tell us about your experience – and let us know all about your garden – in the comments section! The agriculture department at Iowa State University released a helpful guide for dealing with this dangerous plant. If it’s showing up in your yard and you want to play it safe, make sure you have proper gardening gloves. You also might want to keep an eye out if you’re planning to go swimming this summer, as swimmer’s itch has begun showing up in Iowa.

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