The poison ivy is out in full force. It seems like everywhere I look, the three-leaved bandit is popping up. There are very few plants that I would like to eradicate permanently but poison ivy is one of them. It’s hard for me to find God’s purpose in poison ivy…it’s a vine that chokes out other plants and it makes whoever touches it miserable. I guess life is full of unanswered questions…
My objective with this post is to make sure that you understand the difference between poison ivy and Virginia creeper. Many people think that they know the difference only to discover that they don’t. I know of a lady that thought she knew the difference and proceeded to work all day removing large established poison ivy plants…she ended up in the hospital several days later and had to be given large doses of steroids…ouch!
There is a saying “leaves of three, leave them be”. That’s the distinguishing characteristic of poison ivy: it has three leaflets.
Virginia creeper has five leaflets, although some juvenile plants can have three leaflets at some point on the vine. But if you keep observing the vine, you’ll notice five leaflets at some point.
- Photo courtesy of www.muohio.edu
If you are clearing overgrown areas of your property in the winter, look out for hairy vines like these.
- Photo courtesy of www.poisonivy.org
They are a tell-tale sign of poison ivy. And yes, they carry the same punch in the winter as they do in the summer. If you have to remove poison ivy, the best time to do it is in the winter but you still need to be extremely careful…it’s the oil from the plant that really does the damage. That oil is known as urushiol and it can be spread by direct contact or through the air. NEVER BURN POISON IVY PLANTS! The oil can be dispersed through the air and that is something that you never want to inhale.
So, can you differentiate between poison ivy and Virginia creeper? Have you ever had a run in with poison ivy? Let me know by leaving me a comment below or sending me an e-mail. If you enjoy being part of the Mid-Atlantic Gardening community, join our e-mail list (upper right hand corner of this page), become a fan on Facebook and follow me at Twitter. Happy gardening!
Doctor said I got it through my blood stream and the outbreak started in my right eye and worked its way down to my lips and started up to my left eye. Doctor said steroids were important due to poison possibly causing harm to my eye and it was breaking out all over my body. I will not take/touch it lightly ever again!!!
Oh, Stacey. Poison Ivy. Geez.
Yes, I can tell the difference, even in winter. Doesn’t seem to matter. Poison Ivy just hides. One of the worst I had recently was when I dug raspberry canes for my sister in January a few years back. The doctor just shook her head and ordered the shot.
I’m with you although I used to end up with the steroid pack. I feel very blessed to have not had a bad case in several years. That is some miserable stuff!