Poison to Dogs..or "Ghosts of the Graveyard"

Sometimes it takes a while to learn things.  I have been traipsing about this hillside for my whole life and thought I knew just about every "bad" plant there was growing here.  By bad, I mean those that are best left alone if you know what is good for you.  Now, I find that one of my favorite plants is supposedly not too spiffy for animals.  I was once again enthralled by the beauty of the wild Yucca that blooms periodically down the hill from the Little Bayou House.  Every year two different sets of these plants put on quite a show with their creamy white blooms.  Back when I was a mere tyke, Grandpa showed me the pointy ends of the leaves and warned me not to get poked.  During that same lesson, he showed me how you could pull "strings" from the leaves.  These, he informed me, could be used as thread if ever I needed it as a survival item.  These "strings" had a built in needle if you managed to pull the fiber in just the right way. The tip of each leaf holds a spine that is needle sharp!  He, also, told me that the roots could be used as a sudsing soap! Grandpa was a firm believer in being prepared even if it meant using what was at hand.  I learned a lot from this man..I kept tight hold of his teachings.  But..he never told me that this very same plant might be bad news for dogs.  It seems that the roots have a high concentration of saponins.  Saponins when ingested in good quantity can kill a dog or any other animal that eats enough of the root.  Hmmm..this brings to question why a dog might want to eat said root.

To get to the root of a Yucca plant, one must first get past the saber-like leaves.  Trust me on this...You do NOT want to get stabbed by a Yucca leaf! Grandpa was right!  Those things do smart a bit! The needle-like spine can break off and become embedded in the skin!  Why would a dog (at least a semi-smart dog) ever want to risk getting stabbed just to eat some root that tastes like bitter soap?  I cannot see it.  Anyway, the article that I was reading said that I should destroy all my Yucca plants just in case Ms. Ez decided to eat the root.  Now granted, sometimes I ponder the wisdom of my dog but, surely, she has enough sense to steer clear of some pokey, stabby plant!  Hmmm...hopefully she has.  Anyway, I have no plans to eradicate the Yuccas from the hillside.

Just as a note of curiosity..Yuccas are often called "Ghosts of the Graveyard".  I had heard this years ago from an elderly lady that lived down the road.  "Miss Twin" had mentioned this during one visit.  It seems as if Yuccas have a tendency to grow in unattended graveyards.  When in bloom, their thick blooms seem to be floating above the ground..hence the "ghost".  I headed out tonight to put the theory to test.  Braving the myriad of mosquitoes that inhabit the Bayou, I walked the board path to the pier.  There was a nice size Yucca in bloom near the Sawtooth Palmettos.  I wanted to see if after dark, the thing really resembled a "ghost".  Ok..I could see the blooms in the moonlight and if I had not known it was a plant, I would be slightly confused as to this large white thing looming in the darkness.  I tried to photograph it but without a flash nothing could be seen..with the flash, most everything was apparent.  No ghost here!  Still, I suppose with a poor light and vivid imagination, a ghost would appear!  So..the myth will endure!  Yuccas, the Ghosts of the Graveyard!  At least one does not have to be afraid of these ghosts..unless you get stabbed by the leaves or eat the roots!