'Stinknet' closes national park in Arizona
- Published
'Stinknet' is causing problems in some parts of Arizona, even forcing officials to close part of a national park
A plant known as 'stinknet' forced officials to close a National Park's picnic area over the Easter weekend.
Officials at the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument, in Arizona, made the decision to shut the area to keep visitors safe.
Stinknet is a plant that can cause skin rashes and breathing problems - and it smells as bad as its name sounds!
When it is crushed it smells like strong nail polish remover or turpentine, which is what you might smell when paintbrushes are cleaned.
What is stinknet?
This smelly plant can cause things like breathing problems, rashes and headaches
It's an invasive plant- made up of small yellow flowers- that crowd out native plants
When it flowers (typically between November- May) it can produce thousands of seeds
It's very flammable, particularly when dried up
'Stinknet', also known as globe chamomile, is native to South Africa
What can be done about stinknet?
Visitors are being asked to avoid stepping on the flowering weed in other areas of the park, to try and stop the spread.
Large areas of 'stinknet' are hard to remove, so spotting them early is key.
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