Horsetail Falls
Alaska
Horsetail Falls plunges down the wall of Keystone Canyon along the Richardson Highway, the entrance to Valdez. The forground flowers are Cow Parsnip (Pushki) the stems and leaves of which contain furocoumarins, chemicals responsible for the characteristic rash of erythematous vesicles (burn-like blisters) and subsequent hyperpigmentation that occurs after getting the clear sap onto one's skin. The chemical is photosensitive, with the rash occurring only after exposure to ultraviolet light. Photo © copyright by Robert Faucher.