By Old Navy
Although it is often recommended that people learn to recognize the poison ivy plant ("Leaves of three, leave them be"), in practice, this is hard to do since poison ivy and its relatives are often mixed in with other vegetation and not noticed until after the rash has begun.
Keeping the skin covered in situations in which exposure is hard to avoid is the best way to prevent the problem. The best way to avoid that itchy feeling you get from a poison ivy rash is to avoid contact with the plant. The best way to avoid the plant entirely is to know what poison ivy looks like.
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is an adaptable, woody perennial weed that forms vines. The way it grows and looks and its location may vary. Some plants may carpet the ground while others climb tree trunks, stone walls, fences, and posts. The edges of the leaflets may be lobed, smooth or toothed. Poison ivy grows in the open, in deep shade, or along path and road edges. When it grows among other vines, it is more difficult to recognize.
Poison ivy plants have a compound leaf arrangement made up of three leaflets on a leafstalk. Two leaflets grow on opposing sides and the third stands by itself at the end of the stalk. Poison ivy leaflets sometimes have hairy undersides. Its stems are woody. The aerial rootlets make the stem look like a fuzzy rope. Each season, poison ivy has a slightly different color and appearance. New springtime growth is often reddish and especially shiny. After the leaves emerge, the plants may develop a cluster of greenish flowers. Poison ivy fruit has a white, waxy appearance, a smooth surface and looks like mistletoe. Summertime foliage is either dull or glossy green. Fall foliage can be yellow, red or orange.
As you are out on a geocaching hike, remember to notice all the poison ivy around, especially those very hairy poison ivy vines climbing all over the forest trees. Sometimes the leaves of these vines are so big they overhang trails, and are easy to brush up against.
Have an itch-free day!
Poison Ivy web sites: Wikipedia info /photo's http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poison_ivy Great Plains Nature Center - info / photo's http://www.gpnc.org/poison.htm Familydoctor.org - treatment http://familydoctor.org/online/famdocen/home/common/skin/disorders/839.html