Alert: This Blooming Illinois Plant Is Pretty, But It Can Kill

((I want to give you a heads-up that there will be some graphic photos in this piece that show what can happen if you even touch this plant))

This particular plant is all over our state, but not exclusive to Illinois. As a matter of fact, this nasty bit of flowers and greenery can be found in every state in the country except Alaska, Florida, Hawaii, and Mississippi, according to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA).

It's known by many names; devil's bread, devil's porridge, poison parsley, carrot fern, California fern, winter fern, and others--but you've probably heard the name before.

It's Conium maculatum, or more commonly known as poison hemlock. And, it's blooming right now in Illinois. As for the part about it being able to kill you, if you doubt me, remember what happened to Socrates when he decided it would be cool to chug some down way back in the day

A Monticello, Illinois Man Has Discovered (The Hard Way) How Nasty Poison Hemlock Can Be

According to a report from WGNTV.com, a man named Michael Leary was mowing down some weeds in a field when he found himself exposed to Poison Hemlock. Apparently, they'd only had a couple of the plants growing nearby last year, but this year Michael says that they're everywhere.

And all it took to rock his world was about 24 hours between the time he cut the hemlock to the point he knew he had a big problem: "Leary said he did not experience an immediate reaction but the day after he was exposed, he started seeing spots on the top of his feet. Then, it quickly spread across his body."

Here's what it can look like if you suffer skin exposure (Warning: these photos are a bit graphic):

Bottom Line: If You're A Mammal, Poison Hemlock Can Make You Very Ill, And Even Kill You

It's somewhat hard to believe that something that looks so non-threatening can do that kind of damage, but it can. According to HealthLine.com, the symptoms of Poison Hemlock poisoning are:

• trembling
• burning in the digestive tract
• increased salivation
• dilated pupils
• muscle pain
• muscle weakness or muscle paralysis
• rapid heart rate followed by a decreased heart rate
• loss of speech
• convulsions
• unconsciousness or coma
• central nervous system depression
• acute renal failure
• death

Keep in mind that every part of the poison hemlock plant is dangerous, from its flowers to its stem: