Photo: The killer plant
looks harmless, but so far has taken out 20 fish.
I had a very
upset Facebook friend contact me this week about her pond. The woman had stocked her medium size water
feature up with some lovely Koi carp and wanted to protect them from any
wayward herons that were looking for a free meal. The family had tried the plastic herons
around the perimeter of the water but it didn’t seem to work. They were advised to plant bushy marginal
plants along the bank to give the fish protection and shield them from view
should any predators come along.
All was well with
the foliage cover but one of the plants got a bit too big for its spot so her husband
cut some of the stalks to reduce the overhang.
When the stalks were cut a white sap came out of the centre, a bit like
when you break the stems of dandelions.
They thought nothing of it until the next day when they went out to feed
the fish, and found them all dead. Just
a few drops of the sticky white sap had dripped into the water and poisoned
every fish.
I was asked to
identify the plant.
Killer
Plants
I found out that
bamboo sap is poisonous to fish, but by the looks of the stems and leaves it
wasn’t bamboo. I found out after a bit of investigating that the plant is a
euphorbia. They are quite common plants
and although they can be delightful to look at there are certain types that can
be a real irritant to the skin and potential killer. In South Africa the latex sap is used to
actually catch fish, when they ingest it they float to the top of the water
paralyzed and are easily caught. Other varieties are used for waterproofing and
in leather polish, dental mouldings, sealing wax, metal lacquers, paint
removers and lithographic colours. Mixed in paraffin it is used to make candles,
so the plant has many useful uses but wear rubber gloves when handling them! E. Candelabrum
latex is very poisonous and is sometimes used to make poison arrows, the plant
varieties we have can cause blistering and skin irritation and if ingested
could mean a trip to casualty.
The woman will be
removing the euphorbia from the side of the pond, draining the water and
leaving it a while before restocking with more fish. There are a lot of safe marginal plants out
there so hopefully they will make a better choice next time. Gardening can be a
dangerous business.
Poetry
Corner
I have another
fantastic poem for you this week from Tara Rowan in Letterkenny. Even though
she is tired, the expectations of her garden flourishing are keeping her
going.
The Love
of My Days.
Planted, watered, covered
with soil
My arms and legs are tired
from toil.
Watching and waiting, silent
and sound
Friends nod in amazement
when they call around.
Nails, netting and pieces of
wood,
To keep the dog where she is
stood.
Watching and waiting, silent
and sound
Sprouts of green appear from
the mounds.
Tired as I am, my eyes are
awake
As I take in all my hard
work, leaning on my rake.
Watching and waiting, silent
and sound
Such inner contentment I
have found.
Sunshine, drizzle and
torrential rain
It doesn’t matter I still do
the same.
Watching and waiting, silent
and sound
Colours are beginning to
blaze up out of the ground.
Rainbows and sparkles in a
slight breeze
It’s starting to become a
visual tease.
Watching and waiting, silent
and sound
My beautiful garden, natures
astound.
