Hogweed invasion continues!
It is not difficult to imagine Europe and its natural environment in 20 or 30 years. Whether we allow the environment to be destroyed, or tackle the issue that goes far beyond our continent in good time, depends entirely on us.
According to scientific research, every 10 - 14 years, under favourable conditions, we witness a 100% increase in the hogweed population as well as in the costs of controlling the plant. The consequences of not taking measures to restrict the expansion of hogweed will be borne by future generations.
The invasion of hogweed in Europe began about 200 years ago , during the Napoleonic Wars. How much longer will the eradication of this beautiful, yet extremely dangerous plant take?
On 1 July 2015, a 67-year-old female resident of Jelenia Góra admitted to the Burn Treatment Centre in Siemianowice after burning her hand with Sosnowsky’s hogweed, died due to cardiac arrest.
Photos of Sosnowsky’s hogweed (Heracleum sosnowkyi Manden) and photos of people and animals with hogweed burns
(Less the more drastic ones)
Photos 1-12 and 18-22: Jan Pastwa
Photos 13, 23, 24: www.neophyten.info
Photos 14, 15, 16, 17: private archives