Poisoned !

 

 Sadly we have another case of a village animal being poisoned by our abundant plantlife, this time a dog which was seen eating something low down  in the grass along the path at the back of the Manor House. Thankfully it survived, though the vet's bill was enormous. Of the seventeen or so plants identifiable along that path the one that stands out as particularly poisonous is the Lords and Ladies, Arum maculatum.  Its bright red berries, though not often consumed, are very posionous and must be avoided.

  Lords and Ladies' Berries. Photo. John Elliott

Also in full bloom along the stream is our other very poisonous plant, Hemlock Water Dropwort, which was responsible for the poisoning of a lamb in the village last year.

Readers of Saturday's Echo will have noted the vet's weekly column which includes a note on this plant-

The most tragic poisoning I have ever treated in my 26 years as a vet was a young Labrador that had eaten Water Hemlock root and developed almost immediate seizures - despite days of intense treatment we were not able to save that dog.

Hemlock Water Dropwort. Photo. John Elliott