A small wave of paranoia has washed over my hometown at the discovery of Giant Hogweed growing in its various ditches and bush properties. Though its name sounds harmless enough, and vaguely Harry Potter-esque, contact with this plant's sap can cause extreme photosensitivity, leading to bubbling skin burns with exposure to sunlight, as well as temporary or permanent blindness. It's also huge, often growing over 2 m tall.
Sound familiar yet?
John Wyndham's novel Day of the Triffid (also made into a BBC miniseries) cites alien plant-creatures that cause mass blindness and spit poison to digest the tissues of their prey. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't be surprised if it turns out that this invasive Hogweed can take up its roots and walk about.
SO, that's my little alien conspiracy theory. Until the plot is revealed, we'll all just have to sit back and observe as Hogweed Hysteria sweeps across the nation and every guy and his dog has a panic attack thinking that the queen anne's lace in his backyard is a murderous weed.
Perfect example from recent news:
http://www.torontosun.com/news/columnists/mike_strobel/2010/07/14/14713771.html
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