Watch Out for This Dangerous, Invasive Plant All Over New England

It's one of the most dangerous plants out there, spreading all over New England in each and every state.  Depending on your own health, age, and the plant's life, it can be deadly if you're exposed to it.  I have the symptoms listed at the bottom of this quick read.

Now, this dangerous plant for people and animals is actually quite pretty, sitting beautifully among wildflowers and vegetation along our roadways, in fields, along rivers and lakes, and in our backyards. We probably see it daily, and it's easy to mistake it for a wildflower or blooming bush. And it's everywhere we may like to walk or hike with our pets. This plant can even grow up to seven feet tall, too, along fences and around trees.

According to the OCJ.com website, fall is the time of year to get this hazardous plant under control if you spot it in your backyard. It's a poisonous hemlock, and it's a beautiful plant we want nothing to do with. Its official name is Conium Maculatum, and the reason autumn is the best time to kill it is because this is the season it's storing energy in its roots to survive the winter, according to OCJ.com. You can use gloves or a face covering to try and kill it yourself or hire an expert, but whatever you do, do something if it's in your own backyard.

If exposed, the symptoms can start to take effect as quickly as 30 minutes to two hours, according to OCJ.com.

• Nervousness, trembling, muscle weakness, incoordination

• Salivation (slobbering)

• Initial stimulation or excitement followed by depression

• Dilation of the pupils

• Weak heartbeat

• Musty, mousy odor to breathe and in the urine

• Prolapse of the third eyelid across the cornea may cause temporary blindness

• Death by respiratory failure due to paralysis of respiratory muscles.

Obviously, see a doctor if you start to feel any of these symptoms or think you were exposed, as there isn't an actual antidote.