Information about poison ivy, oak, sumac and the skin rashes they cause
The CBS station in San Francisco reports that the heavy rains have produced an explosion of poison oak; certainly a less welcome result than the wildflower superblooms in the deserts.
I just received this totally offbeat way to deal with poison ivy rash:
If you are a fellow poison ivy freak: someone fascinated by this devilish plant, consider attending the Annual Poison Ivy Conference, put together by Umar Mycka, of The Poison Ivy Horticulturalist. Umar knows pretty much everything there is to know about poison ivy, oak, and sumac.
My last blog post was about how poison ivy sometimes reveals itself with fall color. Here is a weird one where poison ivy is "pretending" to be part of a tree.
One interesting thing that happens in the fall is that, sometimes, poison ivy gets shown to be hiding in plain site. Here we have a poison ivy vine growing in a hedge. During the spring, summer, and winter, the ivy blends in with the hedge.
This is a pattern I have seen fairly often, where poison ivy leaves turn into spectacular fall color patterns. I have no idea why this pattern develops, but it sure is eye-catching.
Here is another good example of poison ivy showing its fall colors. This impressive vine is climbing a tree and spreading out its branches over 6 feet in all directions.
It is everywhere right now in the northern states: poison ivy is among most lovely fall color you will see, which will likely cause a few sad people to pick poison ivy leaves to decorate the house. The results can be really awful.
Staghorn sumac is as common as poison ivy; seen along almost all highways in the northeast. In the fall, it comes up with some of the most spectacular fall colors.
Here is a nice little story sent in by a visitor to the site, which makes a good reminder for the fall season:
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