Information about poison ivy, oak, sumac and the skin rashes they cause
Poison sumac is a funny topic. Many of the hundreds of thousands of monthly visitors to this site are searching for poison sumac info in Google.
And yet, in 15 years of running this site, I have gotten very few actual photos of poison sumac: it is just not that common.
Ironic, ain't it? This lovely little vine growing up a tree next to a Do No Enter sign...
Yes, it IS poison ivy, ready to ruin the rest of your summer if you brush it, grab it, or use it for a decoration, as has been done.
Gee, what could that be, creeping up the post holding up that roadsign?
Sure enough, none other than good old poison ivy.
I was driving along and noticed this monster growth of poison ivy in someone's yard, along with various children's toys. So I knew that kids were at risk of the kind of rash that ruins the whole summer.
Poison ivy climbs a dead tree, looking for light. When it reaches the top, it spreads out in all directions, a sort of poison ivy explosion, looking for more light and for the next thing to climb upon.
Here is a new one: a poison ivy vine growing out of the crotch of a maple tree, about 5 feet from the ground.
The roots don't wrap around the tree and touch the ground: they either start and stop right in the crotch, or even stranger, grow INSIDE the tree trunk.
A viewer sent in this memorable photo of a tree covered with poison ivy – at a bus stop.
We got a lovely email from a viewer about sweet fern and his father:
Mowing poison ivy is a mixed bag:
It is good to mow it since that will keep it in check. Without leaves it can't survive, so it won't invade your lawn.
Every so often you may see this sort of strange growth on a poison ivy vine. We sent the photo off to poison ivy scientist John Jelesko and he reports as follows:
