I really want to thank you for such a great paper that always has something I need, if not the day I receive it, then looking back frequently using your yearend index. Which is why I am writing you today, it was most useful
yesterday when I splattered the milky sap of Butterfly Weed, Silky mix, in my right eye.
Yesterday harvesting, while either stripping or rubber banding a bunch of
Butterfly Weed I can’t remember quite, I splattered some milky sap in my eye – instant reaction, I flushed it several times, also got a runny nose instantly, took Benadryl and thought I was OK. As the morning and early afternoon went on I realized I was seeing cloudy out of that eye, remembering I had seen somewhere a warning I went straight to past issues of GFM notebooks and found the warning in November 2000, and proceeded straight to the eye doctor. He couldn’t believe it, my cornea was swollen pretty badly for just happening a few hours ago; of course he has never seen anything like it. I showed him the article about someone possibly having permanent damage and he is treating it as a very serious eye injury. I am on steroids orally and eye drops. This morning it seems the same – cloudy enough that I can’t drive, but he said that it would get worse before it got better.
I have only occasionally worn sunglasses/safety glasses while harvesting, and yesterday was obviously the last time of harvesting anything without eye protection. As much as customers love this flower, it is off the “to grow”plan for next year. I have a bouquet in my home from Saturday (9/6)
Farmer’s Market leftovers and it has a stem of Butterfly weed. I pulled a leaf off last night and it still bleeds the milky sap when it has been hot water treated at harvest and it is 10 days old. What if a florist or market customer pulled more leaves off and wiped their eye. I shudder at the thought of how bad I would feel and the lawsuit possibilities.
Another warning and maybe an “eye protection/ safety article” might be in order. Thanks for all you do, I really appreciate you and the GFM staff.
Lisa Ziegler
Newport News, VA

This is the second incident I’ve heard about this week of eye injury from a plant in the Euphorbia family. A designer at the florist I sell to had injured her eyes just from rubbing them after handling Snow on the Mountain, Euphorbia marginata. Cut flower growers should decide whether these plants are really worth the risk of injury to yourself, your workers or your customers. Lisa decided they weren’t. What about you? Do you have any thoughts about these and other potentially toxic plants such as Digitalis? Let’s hear from readers on whether you handle these plants and, if so, how you mitigate the risk.