VOYAGEUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT OUTDOOR SKILLS #7
Demonstrate your knowledge of environmental conditions and the hazards that can be encountered
when in the outdoors
The popular saying “leaves of three, beware of me” is a good rule of thumb for
poison ivy. Poison ivy can put you in the hospital if you run afoul of it. The key is to know
what poison ivy looks like so you can avoid it.
Poison Ivy in Spring
Like many spring leaves, poison ivy leaves start out bright red, which seems
to fend off insects.
Keep in mind that new leaves can always be reddish even when they sprout in
mid summer.
Where it can grow
Poison Ivy in Summer
You can almost count on poison ivy growing at the edge of
every field within it's range.
Classic poison ivy in full swing. Some leaves are notched.
Some leaves are not. New leaves are shiny and still
somewhat reddish. Older leaves are duller.
And at the edge of every road, and the edge of every
forest, and wherever man has bulldozed a stable
Environment - like a new shopping mall or a housing
subdivision.
In the open field the grass usually wins over time, and in
the deep woods the ivy probably can't get enough light.
But at the edge of the field, forest, parking lot, or road the poison ivy wins out.
Reference: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html
Reference http://www.poison-ivy.org/
VOYAGEUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT OUTDOOR SKILLS #7
Demonstrate your knowledge of environmental conditions and the hazards that can be encountered
when in the outdoors
Facts about Poison Ivy
How do you get poison ivy?
Poison Ivy contains an oil called Urushiol. This oil is found in the sap of poisonous plants like poison ivy, poison oak, and
poison sumac. It is colorless or pale yellow oil that oozes from any cut or crushed part of the plant, including the roots,
stems, and leaves. After exposure to air, urushiol turns brownish-black. Damaged leaves look like they have spots of black
enamel paint making it easier to recognize and identify the plant. Contact with urushiol can occur in three ways:
You may get poison ivy from touching the plant, or touching something that has touched it, like your clothes or your dog.
You normally get it from touching the leaves, when pulling the vine out by the roots - even in winter Another more unusual
way to come in contact is to breathing smoke from firewood burning with poison ivy on it.
What about immunity or sensitivity?
Some people appear to be immune, others become immune. HOWEVER, you can gain or lose immunity, so to assume you
can't get it if you never have before is foolish. People change as they age. Never assume that you are immune.
Sensitivity develops after the first direct skin contact with urushiol oil. An allergic reaction seldom occurs on the first
exposure. A second encounter can produce a reaction which may be severe. About 85 percent of all people will develop an
allergic reaction when adequately exposed to poison ivy. This sensitivity varies from person to person. People who reach
adulthood without becoming sensitive have only a 50 percent chance of developing an allergy to poison ivy. However, only
about 15 percent of people seem to be resistant.
Sensitivity to poison ivy tends to decline with age. Children who have reacted to poison ivy will probably find that their
sensitivity decreases by young adulthood without repeated exposure. People who were once allergic to poison ivy may
even lose their sensitivity later in life.
What it is like to get it?
At first you get a slight itchy spot, which gets worse and worse. It can be a small itchy area that will annoy you, or it can cover your
whole body with giant red sores that will drive you drive you nuts.
What if you know you've been exposed to it?
Within a hour or so you should rinse with lots of cold water. Washing with alcohol may still help remove the oil. Hot water
will open your pores and let the oil in. Taking a hot shower is not recommended. If you wait more than half a day, you are
too late. Check with your doctor to see if early treatment can prevent the rash before it really starts.
What are effective treatments?
There are a lot of conflicting suggestions for treatment. Antihistamines are either very effective or worthless. If the
affected area is small enough, self treatment with over the counter remedies can provide 'temporary relief'. One cheap
suggestion is to apply very hot (but not scalding) water to the area, which is supposed to provide several hours of relief by
deadening the nerves in the area. One person reported losing a lot of skin with this method. Others report that the itching
recurs worse than before, possibly due to increased blood flow in the area. I did not try this method.
Symptoms of poison ivy may persist for up to two weeks after exposure. None of the above remedies will reduce this time.
For more serious or widespread cases, you must consult your doctor.
Recognizing Poison Plants
Identifying the poison ivy plant is the first step in avoiding the rash. The popular saying “leaves of three, beware of me” is
a good rule of thumb for poison ivy and poison oak but is only partly correct. A more exact saying would be “leaflets of
three, beware of me,” because each leaf has three leaflets. Poison sumac, however, has a row of paired leaves. The middle
or end leaf is on a longer stalk than the other two or more leaves. This differs from most other three-leaf look-alikes.
Poison ivy has different forms. It grows as vines or low shrubs. Poison oak, with its oak-like leaves, is a low shrub in the
East and can be a low or high shrub in the West. Poison sumac is a tall shrub or small tree. The plants also differ in where
they grow. Poison ivy grows in fertile, well-drained soil. Western poison oak needs a great deal of water, and Eastern
poison oak prefers sandy soil but sometimes grows near lakes. Poison sumac tends to grow in standing water, such as peat
bogs.
These plants are common in the spring and summer. When they grow, there is plenty of sap and the plants bruise easily.
The leaves may have black marks where they have been injured. Although poison ivy rash is usually a summer complaint,
Reference: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html
Reference http://www.poison-ivy.org/
VOYAGEUR PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT REQUIREMENT OUTDOOR SKILLS #7
Demonstrate your knowledge of environmental conditions and the hazards that can be encountered
when in the outdoors
cases may occur in winter when people burn wood to clear yards that has urushiol on it, or cut poison ivy vines for
wreaths.
It is important to recognize these toxic plants in all seasons. In the early fall, the leaves can turn colors such as yellow or
red when other plants are still green. The berry-like fruit on the mature female plants also changes color in fall, from green
to off-white. In the winter, the plants lose their leaves. In the spring, poison ivy has yellow-green flowers.
Reference: http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/pictures.html
Reference http://www.poison-ivy.org/