Recognizing Poison Ivy Plants

Part of enjoying camping and other recreation in the great outdoors means knowing a little about your environment. Not everything in nature is good for you. Poison ivy is one example. Here are some basic facts about the appearance of poison ivy plants and what can happen if you come in contact with them.

Many people are not aware that poison ivy can actually come in three different forms. In some parts of the country, the plant will be a fully developed shrub that will intermingle with other forms of flora and fauna. This can sometimes make distinguishing poison ivy from the surrounding plants, which in turn increases the risk of being infected.

Along with appearance as a shrub, poison ivy may also appear as a creeping vine that is attached to tree trunks and limbs. When this is the case, poison ivy may appear to be one of several innocuous types of vines that are found in the forest. However, brushing up against the vine and crushing some of the leaves is an easy way to contract poison ivy quickly.

Finally, poison ivy plants can also creep along as vines along the forest floor. The vines may intermingle with other forms of ground cover, which will make it that much more difficult to distinguish the poison ivy leaves from other greenery. This is one reason that you should always wear footwear while in the forest. Also, it is a good idea to always take along a blanket or some other form of covering before spreading out a picnic on the ground.

One final thing to keep in mind about poison ivy plants is that all of them will have one common characteristic. In all examples of poison ivy, the leaves will grow in a configuration of three leaves. This means that even if the exact shape of the leaves may look a great deal like surrounding plants, this three-leaf configuration will always be a sure sign.

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