Iowa DNR photo

A plant that can cause a rash and blisters is commonly found in Iowa and blooms from May to July, it’s wild parsnip.

The plant is yellow and looks similar to Queen Anne’s lace. Washington County Public Health Nurse Lynn Fisher says to avoid it, “Once that oil from the plant, that juice from the plant gets on your skin and then gets in contact with the sun it can cause a rash. And actually that rash can cause like a burn, and that can cause burning, scalding pain, and even discolor the skin for several months where that was. Once the rash subsides the skin can get discolored for several months. So it’s just really nasty.”

The Iowa Department of Natural Resources advises to avoid using a lawn string trimmer to remove it because you’ll be “splattered with broken parsnip tissue” and have a high exposure to its toxin.