Living in a different country also means encountering plants that you may have never seen before. Here are some plants to watch out for.
Don’t touch these plants
Stinging Nettle – You’ll find stinging nettle along paths, in gardens, in fields and pretty much everywhere else. They are generally between 3 to 7 feet tall in the summer and die off in the winter. This plant has tiny needle like hairs that will stick in your skin and inject several chemicals that will cause your skin to burn and itch. This effect can last from a few minutes to a few days.
“Brennnessel 1”. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Brennnessel_1.JPG#/media/File:Brennnessel_1.JPG
Giant Hogweed – This plant can grow to be between 6 and 18 feet tall. The sap of this plant causes the skin to become hypersensitive to UV light (phytophotodermatitis). If you are spending the day outdoors, the amount of sunlight exposure can cause severe sunburns in affected areas, leading to blisters.
“Herkulesstaude fg01” by Fritz Geller-Grimm – Own work. Licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons – https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Herkulesstaude_fg01.jpg#/media/File:Herkulesstaude_fg01.jpg
Poisonous Plants
The writers over at Living in Germany have a great listing of poisonous plants with pictures. This is especially important for those of you with children or pets that go outside.
