Poison ivy is actually not an ivy. How about that? It is a wood vine that presents like an ivy in appearance. In simple terms, it is the bane of many a hiker. Why? The plant contains something known as urushiol. It produces urushiol in great amounts and touching it will result in an itching sensation like you have never experienced before. It is misery defined.
Unfortunately, poison ivy grows like mad pretty much all over North America. It tends to grow below 5,000 feet of elevation, which is at least some good news. The plant can present as a small bush or as ground cover. Sometimes it appears like a small tree and other times it looks like a flowing vine. Both appearances contain urushiol, so be careful.
While poison ivy can come in many different shapes, the leaves are fairly recognizable. They come in a group of three and are almond shape. For coloring, they can range from whitish to a dark green, so don't rely on color when determining if you are looking at poison ivy. Poison ivy can also appear to have berries, but you really don't want to touch those and certainly don't eat them! As a general rule, most hikers avoid touching any three leaf plants when out on a hike. If you follow this rule, you should be fine.
At one point or another, you may be unable to avoid the plant. So what happens if you get urushiol on you? Urushiol causes an allergic reaction in a vast majority of people. The rash is hot red, itchy and can burn like nothing you have experienced. Nasty, red blisters also frequently appear. Unfortunately, the rash takes two to three weeks to resolve. While it does, you will quickly become an expert on poison ivy and how to avoid it.
While poison ivy is prevalent in North America, you need not fear it. Just avoid it. As the saying goes, ?three leaves ? let it be.?
