Wild parsnip burns more common as weed creeps in on newly-urban areas

A yellow-flowered weed with a painful bite is creeping into more and more urbanized areas this summer.

Wild parsnip closely resembles its harmless cousin, wild carrot (also known as Queen Anne's lace), but its sap can burn the skin when exposed to sunlight, leaving painful blisters.

Reese Hitterman, 14, found that out the hard way. He was wearing pants and a long sleeved shirt while dirt biking on an overgrown trail a few weeks ago.

In the middle of the night, he noticed his hands, ankles and even part of his neck were covered in painful blisters

"It was pretty crazy I guess. I didn't know a plant was able to do that," he said.

Wild parsnip originated in Europe and Asia, but isn't new to Canada. It's believed to have been growing in every province for decades.

What is new in cities from Toronto to Montreal, there have been more and more sightings of and exposure to the typically rural weed, a creep which horticulturalists believe is linked to urban sprawl.

"As the urban fringe spreads farther into the countryside that may be why more and more people are coming into contact with it as opposed to in the past as maybe a strictly rural countryside thing," said David Wees, a horticulture lecturer at McGill University.

How to identify wild parsnip:

• Thick single stem with groupings of mitten-like leaves
• Yellow-green flowers in umbrella-like clusters
• Between half a metre and 1.5 metres-tall

Experts say the best way to deal with it is to mow it down while wearing protective clothing from head to toe.