Arrrgh!!!

I've lived with poison ivy so long that I've almost come to take it for granted. A new visitor to this blog, Andrea, asked for help identifying poison ivy, so I thought I might write a bit more on the subject. My apologies for not taking pictures of the dreaded visitor before I ripped it out.

This link from Cornell University shows low growing poison ivy that acts as a ground cover. You'll find the leaves grouped in threes, and the edges of the leaves are notched. We find this type of poison ivy in our gardens, or mixed in with the wild raspberries. It has a genius for lodging at the roots of plants you'd like to keep, and spreads by roots on the surface or just under the surface of the ground.

This link will take you to an on-line article on poison ivy with several excellent pictures. One type of poison ivy is a climbing vine. We find it climbing the trees with a tough stem covered with aerial roots that help it attach itself to the trees. Scroll down in the linked article for a a good picture of the stems. When we find this type of stem, we tend to cut it at the base of the tree.

The leaves of climbing poison ivy turn red in the fall. So do the leaves of Virginia Creeper. To be on the safe side, I don't touch anything turning red, unless I personally planted it, and can identify it.

You know....just writing about this is making me itch!!!

Speaking of itching...we use the Tecnu products once we've come in contact with poison ivy. Frequently, I can forestall a trip to the doc by washing very thoroughly with Tecnu, or I can at least lessen the effect of the urushiol on my skin. I tend to wear long pants and socks, long sleeved shirts and latex gloves just to be on the safe side.

Occasionally, in late fall or early winter, I'll find I have a tiny bit of a rash that is very reminiscent of poison ivy, when I shouldn't have had any contact with it. It finally occurred to me that I was picking it up from our pet's fur. As I stroked the dog or the cat, I'd pick up tiny bits of the oil and then distribute over my arms by accident. If you have pets and a small child, this might be something you really want to keep in mind.

If you choose to cut poison ivy down, or rip it out, do NOT burn it. You could inhale the urushiol. Also, if you have a compost pile, do not dispose of the poison ivy in the compost. I tend to be an organic gardener, with a very few exceptions. Where it's possible, I'll use a disposable paint brush to paint Round-up, or something similar, on the leaves of poison ivy. You'll still need to be careful removing the leaves and stems of the poison ivy, and sequestering them where you won't come into contact.

I've learned to live around it. If I'm going to be at the verge of the groves here, I tend to be very careful where I walk. There's no way you can completely eradicate this pest from your land.

If you need more pictures of poison ivy, Andrea, go to Google, Image, and type in poison ivy. They have all the pictures you'll need! Good luck!