Hemlock is prevalent in the Bayfield area, and many local landowners don't even know it's on their property.
Hemlock is the most poisonous plant in America and we have it growing in the Bayfield High School catch pond, on the side of the trails, next to road intersections, in our fields and our ditches. Several horse owners near me have it growing in their fields and are not aware that it could kill a horse if they eat enough of it. The La Plata Weed Management office in Durango said several calves were killed from hemlock when it was baled and fed to them. They also said that hemlock is a mandatory management weed that it is part of the county code. Property owners are required to work at eradicating the plant. Hemlock usually grows in wet areas, so just find any ditch in the Bayfield area and it has hemlock. The roots are the most poisonous. Spraying is the best to eradicate hemlock. The herbicide Roundup will work, but if the hemlock is growing near water, another herbicide, Rodeo, is recommended.
Hemlock is starting to bloom, and the plants have a long stock and white flowers similar to the dill plant. The La Plata County Weed Management office has a cost share program being offered until Nov. 15 where they will pay for 50 percent of the cost of herbicides and surfactants purchased. The form is on their web site at laplataweeds.org.
We all know hemlock can kill. I hear that kids like to play with the stock because it is somewhat hollow. A weed management office staff member said he recently drove through Bayfield and Gem Village and was troubled to see horses grazing in pastures with a bunch of hemlock.
Animals won't typically eat hemlock unless feed is in short supply.
