The rain filled skies, the foggy mornings and now a blast of heat coming our way add up to one thing.
A bumper crop of trouble...in the form of luscious Poison Ivy!
Do you have a personal relationship with this neighbor? Have you come to recognize it where ever you are so you can avoid the offensive trick it will play on your skin. Holiday Hill Day Camp wants you to learn to recognize this so you can enjoy every day of your summer!
Leaves of Three Let It Be
The leaves grow from a red color on emerging to the bright glossy green. Yes, they do grow in a cluster of three. Here is bright patch the birds seeded right near a hiking trail and the edge of the road. Like a lot of weeds it has help popping up in new places and doesn't mind less than quality soil or growing conditions. It loves this long string of wet weather for making it extra juicy and the foliage thick and plentiful.
Poison Ivy as A Climber
Poison Ivy will climb trees to great heights in search of sun and just for fun! The best way to avoid a outbreak of the nasty rash it creates is to avoid it all together.
If you get in to it anyway the next best thing to do is wash very well the area that came in contact with the plant. It is the natural oils in the plant that cause the blister like bubbles of Poison Ivy to pop up all over your skin. Some people are more sensitive than others. Some will catch it from petting an animal who has the oils on their coat from walking through the vine.
Another word of warning, even in winter the vines can pass on the oils and create havoc on your skin. The dried leaves in hay for animals can cause some to break out . The winter vine is leafless and will be brown with hairy roots all over it. Some will grow to a thickness of several inches in diameter.
To late? a trip to the pharmacy will get you relief from some tried and true remedies. My favorite summer remedy for a Poison Ivy outbreak is to spend a day at the ocean the salt water dries it up really fast! Get a good look at the plants now and just don't go there!!
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