Toxic Cocktail Garnished With An Umbrella

I spotted this massive giant hogweed plant on the roadside on the way back from Epping. I took some pics but had nothing to give a sense of scale.

I returned this evening clad in a thick coat, wellies, rubber gloves and sunglasses. Contact with the introduced plant, particularly in sunlight, can cause lasting skin damage due to phyto-photodermatitis and if sap gets in the eyes it can result in blindness. I decided to use a cocktail umbrella to convey how huge the umbels on this plant are.