As the late-arriving monsoons bring a fresh crop of weeds and the temperatures finally drop out of the triple digits, this is the time of year many of us think about cleaning up our yards.

Stay alert, be informed and take proper precautions, or your cleanup — and the way you deal with the yard trash — could be hazardous to your health.

That’s the message from those who have ended up in doctors’ offices or the hospital after encounters with noxious plant materials and critters.And this year, cleanups are exacerbated by the damage from the February freeze, said Jeff Anderson, agriculture, agronomy and horticulture agent with Doña Ana County and New Mexico State University Extension Services.

Wanita Thompson of Mesilla Park got an unpleasant surprise when she decided to burn some windfall wood from a Mexican elder tree during the February freeze.

“The small twigs were perfect to start fires and the logs burned nicely” in her fireplace, she said, but a few days later, “I began to have a strange, bitter almond taste in my mouth that would not go away. Then other symptoms began: headache, chills, fever nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, body aches and extreme shortness of breath and lung pain. I couldn’t even speak, I was so ill.”

Her doctor, she said ” had no idea” what was wrong. “I was eventually diagnosed with pneumonia, through I had no congestion.”

She did some research and found that “the leaves and wood (of Mexican elder) are indeed poison with organic cyanide. When I read the list of symptoms of cyanide poisoning, I had every one of them.”

She conferred with a friend who had lost her elder tree in the freeze.

“She took the wood for her woodpile and her lawn man told her that it should be thrown in the dump, to not even burn it outside. to him, it was common knowledge, like knowing that oleanders are poison, but I have not found anyone else that knows this,” said Thompson, 59, a massage therapist and R.N.

“Mexican elder is not a wood to burn. the toxins break down if they’re composted for at least 90 days,” in many noxious plant materials, Anderson said, but it’s probably best to dispose of potential hazardous materials away from your home and yard.

It’s another problem magnified by 2011 weather conditions, like wildlife and pets who have gotten sick after eating dried leaves from oleanders killed off in the big freeze and spread by high winds.

“Usually the (fresh) leaves are so bitter, nothing would eat them, but when they’re dried, there isn’t that warning taste,” Anderson said.

You may find some surprising hazards inside as well as outside your home.

“A lot of house plants are toxic, like adenium, which is becoming more popular and has beautiful blooms. I have some in my house. but the sap can cause cardiac arrest,” he said.

Potential hazards in high desert country could include “stabbings” from both plants and insects.

“Plants have natural defenses. And while you’re gardening or cleaning up your yard, watch out for bees, particularly Africanized honey bees, ground wasps and other insects you can stir up or that can get in your house, like bed bugs. We’ve gotten a lot of calls about bed bugs this year. there are also swallow bugs, and bat bugs, which are directly related to bedbugs. they prefer bats, and don’t really like human blood, but will give you a try if there are no bats around,” he said, stressing that the extension office does not come out and help with vector control or extermination.

You’ll have to hire an expert if you have critters, insects or noxious plants you can’t handle. Anderson recommends doing some research and checking references “and be prepared to supervise, so you’re sure they’re doing what you want,” Anderson suggests.

“There are some things you can do. Don’t keep firewood stacked next to the house if you don’t want termites or carpenter ants, which can cause structural damage. Plug up and seal cracks where insects can enter your home,” he said.

He’s developed his own methods for dealing with cactus and other prickly problems. Navigate with tongs and shovels whenever possible, but be prepared with heavy-duty leather-palmed gloves.

Under the gloves, he wears two layers of rubber fingertip covers ( “they’re known as ‘counting fingers’” and are available online and at office supply stores). Then he wraps the gloves in several layers of duct tape.

Safety first should be your motto. Hire experts if you think you’re not up to cleanup tasks. And if you, your kids or your pets get into something questionable, seek medical help immediately.

S. Derrickson Moore can be reached at (575) 541-5450

Be cautious

Dispose of Mexican elder wood, oleander clippings and other potentially noxious plant materials in garbage or landfill. do not attempt to burn in your fireplace or outside.

Don’t hesitate to call in the professionals to deal with insects, pests, or cleanup and pruning jobs.

Don’t work at night.

have a buddy system. Don’t work with chain saws, torches, ladders, or other potentially hazardous equipment without an assistant.

for tips on pruning and cleaning, and potentially hazardous plants and insects, do online searches or contact NMSU/Doña Ana Cooperative Extension Office, 530 N. Church St., (575) 525-6649, donaanaextension.nmsu.edu.

Seek medical help immediately if you, your kids or pets have an encounter with toxic plants or pests.

Always wear sunscreen, hat, protective gloves, sturdy shoes, and long-sleeved shirts and pants when doing yard work.

Stay hydrated.