How to stop getting spots on my feet from my garden?

dhokes

This may sound odd but whenever I go into my own garden with my feet exposed e.g. in slippers, I end up getting itchy red spots all over them. This mainly happens in my own garden rather than if I'm just out and about. For anyone interested, I've got some photos here. Does anyone know what exactly might be causing them and is there anything I can do to stop it rather than having to cover up?

twopenny

That is weird!

You don't say whether you are walking on paving or grass.

Could this be it?

https://www.healthline.com/health/grass-rash#symptoms

Nothing personal but I had a dog that used to get blistery spots between his toes when I took him to long grassy meadows. No explantaion for it other than the grass was doing it.

The other thing I thought of was red ants. They are tiny and around during the warmer weather but I'd have thought you'd have noticed them.

dhokes

twopenny said:

That is weird!

You don't say whether you are walking on paving or grass.

Could this be it?

https://www.healthline.com/health/grass-rash#symptoms

Nothing personal but I had a dog that used to get blistery spots between his toes when I took him to long grassy meadows. No explantaion for it other than the grass was doing it.

The other thing I thought of was red ants. They are tiny and around during the warmer weather but I'd have thought you'd have noticed them.

Yeah, its odd. Today I was actually standing on the grass which I think is the trigger. I didn't notice any visible bugs or insects. I'll have to experiment but I'm sure I'm okay with grass elsewhere e.g. in the park. Is there anything specific in the grass that could cause it?

twopenny

You could try standing for 10mins with one foot on the grass and one of the path. Have a cup of tea or sing a song while you wait then see if the grass foot gets the rash, the other doesn't.

Do you go barefoot in the park or sandals?

MovingForwards

I have that if I go into one part of my garden, feet / legs end up covered in little bite type things, which I can feel happening but can't see them. If I'm in flip flops I avoid that section!

If you have insect repellent it would be worth a try, that would potentially rule out if it's bugs.

dhokes

twopenny said:

You could try standing for 10mins with one foot on the grass and one of the path. Have a cup of tea or sing a song while you wait then see if the grass foot gets the rash, the other doesn't.

Do you go barefoot in the park or sandals?

Aha, sandals.

Sky_

Pinprick rashes tend to be allergies, so it's probably either a mild grass allergy or a sensitivity to chemicals used on the grass, or even an allergy to another plant/weed that is growing in the grass.

We've had gardens with red ants in and their bites are very painful due to the formic acid they contain, so you'd notice those and in my experience, other insect bites tend to cause more swelling/bigger marks than your pictures show.

Good luck, I hope you find the cause.