Be careful out there

On Tuesday afternoon, Diane Arsenault found a very small tick on her leg after walking near the fence line on #7. It resembles the one pictured below on the right and was about the size of the "C" in the word "cents" on a dime.





 Diane did some research for us and this is what she found out:

http://healthycanadians.gc.ca/healthy-living-vie-saine/environment-environnement/pesticides/ticks-tiques-eng.php

As well, there is a weed that is growing rampantly in Eastern Ontario - Wild Parsnip. Having recently been east of Belleville, this weed is growing everywhere! It resembles Queen Anne's Lace (also known as Wild Carrot), but is yellow in colour. It causes skin damage in the form of blisters and has actually caused blindness when eyes have been exposed to the sap. Dogs can carry the sap to their human friends on their coats, too.

I have not seen any around here, but it has been found in Durham. Here is an article about from a Pickering paper about the dangers of the weed, spotting it, treating exposure, etc.

 http://www.durhamregion.com/community-story/5739665-pickering-boy-11-burned-by-toxic-wild-parsnip/

Both articles are worth reading.