CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Over the years, dogs and young children prevented me from planting some very pretty plants. As a child, my son ate a tent worm, so I knew that nothing was off limits for him. If only I knew then what I know now ...

I longed for foxglove in my garden. I wouldn't plant it because I just knew my son would eat this Digitalis purpurea and have a heart attack right there in the yard. I loved the spring flowers of Daphne x burkwoodii'Carol Mackie,' but I knew those red fall berries would mean a trip to the emergency room with my baby boy in a convulsion.

Overprotective? Maybe. But that baby boy is now 20, and I've grown up a lot, as well. I now know two important things about poisonous plants:

1. I can plant them and my children won't eat them.

2. Many of the plants I have always had in the garden were just as much a "threat" as the ones I feared, and my kids and dogs survived.

Dr. Alice B. Russell, from North Carolina State University, produced a list, "Poisonous Plants of North Carolina," which discusses many plants that are toxic to humans and animals. Included are some of my favorites.

I'll still avoid those plants with names such as deadly nightshade and death angel. Go figure! But here are just a few species (both houseplants and garden varieties) that can be toxic to humans and animals when ingested:

Asparagus fern, azalea, rhododendron, laurel, many hellebores, beech, bleeding heart, boxwood, burning bush, butterfly weed, caladium, calla lily, cardinal flower, dianthus, clematis, coleus, many ivies,

Poppy, spiderwort, euphorbia, crocus, daffodil, dahlia, delphinium, dieffenbachia, elephant's ear, flowering maple, foxglove, hydrangea, chrysanthemum, geranium, heavenly bamboo, many holly varieties,

Horseradish, hyacinth bean, iris, Japanese boxwood, Jerusalem cherry, jonquil, juniper, lantana, larkspur, liriope, lily-of-the-valley, many sedums and sempervivums, lupine, ginkgo, mandevilla, marigold,

Mayapple, meadow garlic, medicinal aloe, milkweed, morning glory, mother-in-law's tongue, chrysanthemum, narcissus, Ohio buckeye, papaw, peace lily, peach, pee gee hydrangea, primrose, privet,

Queen Anne's lace, rhubarb, sassafras, schefflera, shamrock, shrub verbena, spurge, trillium, tuberous begonia, tulip, vinca, Virginia creeper, wax begonia, allium, anemone, wisteria, artemisia, yarrow, yew and many more.

Funny, serious questions

Dr. Mary C. Smith, of the Cornell College of Veterinary Medicine, has compiled a list of questions she's received over the years about poisonous plants. The variety of the questions shows the confusion over which plants are good and which are bad, and some are a bit humorous. Visit www.ansci.cornell.edu/plants/ to get the answers. Here are a few:

Could eating one small bad mushroom poison me?

What do you think about using tobacco or garlic to get rid of worms in goats?

Do you know of any plants that can cause the vocal cords to be paralyzed?

My daughter made tea from some unknown yellow bell-shaped flowers ... should I drink it?

Could a tea named yerba maté cause a positive drug test?

Is goldenrod (chokecherries, oak trees, pine needles) harmful to sheep or goats?

Is aloe vera toxic to rabbits?

Can the azalea cause previously normal canine sperm to become abnormal in morphology?

Can a black walnut stump poison a garden?

My sister took too high a dose of bloodroot. What will that do to her?

What kind of plants would cause the symptoms of antifreeze poisoning?

Have you ever heard cattle dying from eating buttercup?

Is death parasol the same as death cap?

What could cause these horses to drool?

Is mountain laurel poisonous to elk?

Do you know of any plants that kill gophers?

Are ficus tree leaves poisonous to baby guinea pigs?

Could hydrangea make my dog puke?

What plants are safe for my iguanas?

Could mandrake fruit make my wife get pregnant?

Can marigold leaves be poisonous to a canary?

Can you give me some information about human exposure to monkshood?

What kind of a poisonous bean could you put in a soup?

Do you have any information on a plant called hogswart?

What is in avocado that kills parrots?

What kind of reaction should I look for in a baby who chewed a philodendron leaf?

Can you get selenium poisoning from drinking too much milk?

What plant has the common name of zebra plant, and could it have caused leukemia?

In some cases, as I read these questions, I had to laugh. In others, I found myself screaming, "Call poison control!"

Mushroom foray

The West Virginia Mushroom Club will host a mushroom foray at Greenbrier State Forest, near Lewisburg, July 24. Meet at Shelter 2 at 9:40 a.m. Gary Lincoff, author of "The Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Mushrooms," will be the guide. Samples of mushroom dishes will be available.

Bill Roody, author of "Mushrooms of West Virginia and the Central Appalachians," and his wife, Donna, will help with identification. Taylor Lockwood, an acclaimed nature photographer specializing in beautiful and exotic fungi, will show his latest slides. Mushroom cultivator Paul Goland, of Franklin, will demonstrate mushroom growing techniques and offer mushroom items for sale.

Price is $25, age 13 and under free. Visit www.greenbriersf.com for driving directions and camping information or call 304-536-1944. Questions about the foray? Contact Martha Hopper at Marthachop...@yahoo.com or Nancy Ward at nawar...@verizon.net.

Make checks out to WVMC and send to Martha Hopper, 1543 Hampton Road, Charleston, WV 25314, along with you name and phone number.

Extension office

Due to a switch in phone systems to improve service, the WVU Kanawha County Extension Office will be using a temporary phone number for incoming calls until the original number is ported over to the new system. Automatic forwarding may take effect within a few days; you may find it faster, however, to directly dial the temporary number, which is 260-443-7178. This will be the direct line to the extension office until further notice. They expect a change back to the regular phone number within a few weeks. Calls made to the 304-768-1202 phone number will receive a message directing them to dial the new 260 number.

Reach Sara Busse at sara.bu...@wvgazette.com or 304-348-1249.