Those oils are persistent and hard to get off. Let’s just say I know someone who figured this out the hard way.
How to identify poison ivy skin#
Don’t skin a rabbit that’s been living in poison ivy and then wear the pelt on your body without first washing it thoroughly.
Dogs rarely react to poison ivy, but the oil can stay on their fur and transfer it to anyone who touches them.
Be careful petting your dog in poison ivy country.
Your throat, which you definitely need for breathing properly, could swell and react adversely. His entire torso and legs were covered in pus-filled boils, and it took lots of medication and time to fully recover. I’ve seen the fallout from burning poison ivy firsthand when my best friend was covered in smoke from a nearby prescribed burn in the forest. It will also cover your clothes and skin with a fine layer of oil. The smoke will get into your lungs and coat them with the oils. Scenarios to Avoid with Poison Ivy or Poison Oak Once you correctly identify it, it will become easy to spot! I have a fun, detailed video on this via StoneAgeMan on YouTube. If you’re still uncertain, you can (of course) do a quick internet search on your phone to make sure you’re correctly identifying poison ivy. Just realize that berries are only present for a small period of time on the plant.
“Berries of white, danger in sight.” Many of the berries you’ll see in the forest are red, so a small white berry is at the very least, a caution to look out for poison ivy.
If you touched that hairy vine, you’d also get exposed to the dangerous oils. Yet, poison ivy has a very characteristic “hairy” vine. That means, all you’d see is a vine attached to a tree.
“Hairy vine, no friend of mine” Many vines only have leaves far up in the canopy.
“Leaves of three, let it be.” Granted there are some other things in the forest with three leaves – like box elder, kudzu, and blackberries – but this phrase is a good start.
There are three easy-to-remember phrases that are often used to identify poison ivy.