"Nature..., red in stalk and seedpod" (not to mention "stinger")*

*My apologies to Tennyson

Last night I learned something interesting about hellebore. In addition to being an early spring bloomer, shade and drought tolerant, and low maintenance, I discovered last night, after spending a while in the afternoon elbow deep in hellebore while cutting out dead and spent flower and leaf stalks, that it bleeds a really nasty sap. Once the burning rash was covering my arms I googled the subject...https://dengarden.com/gardening/poisonous-plants-hellebore-oleander-periwinkle

I didn't have anything like the dramatic effects that the writer of that article experienced (I wasn't messing with the seed pods, aside from accidental contact), and it's only mildly irritated today. But... dang! Between the yellow jackets and the hellebore, Nature was really out to get me yesterday!