This summertime hazard can lurk where you least expect it

It’s the “trickster” that can grow almost anywhere… including your own backyard. And a chance meeting with this plant can just about ruin your summer.

It’s poison ivy!

And don’t think that just because you know that old rhyme (“leaves of three, let it be”), you’re covered in the poison-ivy-information department. While it does have three leaves, that’s where the easy part ends.

But if you know what you’re looking for and act fast enough, you may be able to dodge the itching and blisters that can result from an encounter with this plant of many disguises.

The three-leaf threat

John Jelesko, a professor at Virginia Tech, has been on the hunt to find out everything he can about poison ivy for years now – ever since an encounter left him in such pain that he was ready to “claw (his) itching flesh off.”

The more he learned, however, the more he discovered that poison ivy can hide in plain sight, sometimes where you least expect it. Being a scientist, of course, he found that “remarkable.”

But anyone who simply wants to enjoy a day in the back yard, at the park, or even just safely walk to the beach (it doesn’t grow in the sand, but it can intermingle with dune grasses, where you can easily brush against it), I think, would prefer to know how to avoid it!

Poison ivy can creep along the ground… grow as a giant vine up a tree… or look like a shrub. And even years after the plant has died, it can still contain enough of the itch-causing compound, called urushiol, to give you an uncomfortable and unpleasant rash.

Yikes!

Plus that, while poison ivy does have three leaves, those leaves can have smooth or jagged edges, be round or have notches in them.

And you’re actually more likely to encounter the plan in urban areas than out in the middle of the woods, Jelesko says.

And while your pup is resistant to poison ivy, Fido can still carry enough urushiol on his fur to transfer it to you.

Since it’s so easy to be tricked by poison ivy, your best bet when doing yardwork is to approach anything you can’t positively ID with both caution and gloves!

And those gloves, as well as your clothing, should hit the washing machine as soon as you get inside. Urushiol can remain active on clothing for a considerable length of time.

But if you should find some growing in your yard, how can you best get rid of it?

While banishing poison ivy isn’t terribly difficult, the hardest part is making sure your skin is completely protected from its wrath! Check your gloves for holes, wear long sleeves and pants, and tuck (or even tape) the edges of your gloves and socks.

Pulling it out is said to be the most effective method, making sure you get the roots as well. Once you do, place the plant material in a garbage bag, tie it up and trash it. Never, ever burn poison ivy, as the urushiol can become airborne and cause an allergic reaction in your skin (even if you didn’t touch it!), nose, and lungs.

If, however, you do meet up with some poison ivy despite your best efforts, you may be able to save your skin from an outbreak by washing the area well with soap and plenty of water within the first few hours.

Once a rash (which might take weeks to develop) appears, your best options are anti-itch lotions or OTC steroid creams. Some people swear by a paste made from baking soda and water, along with cold compresses.

If the rash is really bad or in some especially sensitive spot — such as your mouth or near your eyes or genital areas — it’s time for a visit to your doctor!

“Don’t touch! A scientist’s advice for spotting poison ivy before it ruins your summer” Blake Farmer, June 8, 2018, NPR, npr.org