Over the past few years I’ve noticed an increasing amount of poison ivy alongside the Wiouwash Trail that runs from Oshkosh to Hortonville. But poison ivy isn’t found only in the wild; it can appear in woodsy corners of our yards as well.
Poison ivy is tricky in that it can take several forms. It can be a ground cover, a climbing vine or a small shrub. It takes whatever form is necessary in a particular area to survive.
Make it a point to find out what poison ivy looks like in a weed field guide or on the internet so that you can avoid contact with it. Autumn is the easiest time to spot it because of its spectacular red and orange fall color. Until you can identify poison ivy with certainty, it’s a best to remember the old adage, “leaves of three, let it be.”
If you find poison ivy on your property, you’ll certainly want to remove it. Some people think they are immune, but just because you can brag about playing in it as a child and never getting the blistering rash doesn’t guarantee that you’ll be so lucky the next time you come in contact with it.
When battling poison ivy, wear long pants, long sleeves, a hat, goggles, rubber gloves and rubber boots. Dig down to expose the plant’s roots and then flood the roots with boiling water. Cover the entire area with black or clear plastic sheeting weighed down with rocks and leave it covered for a whole season.
Never burn any part of a poison ivy plant. Inhaling the smoke is extremely dangerous – an internal case of poison ivy is life threatening.
When you finish, take your clothes off right next to the washer and launder them with hot water. Wearing another pair of rubber gloves, scrub your boots, gloves, goggles and all tools that came into contact with the plants with hot soapy water.
If your pet has walked through poison ivy, you can get the rash by touching the plant oils left on the pet’s fur. Suit up just as you would to eradicate the weed and give the pet a good bath.
There are many remedies on the market that promise relief from poison ivy. Washing with brown fels naptha soap, taking a baking soda and oatmeal bath, or applying an anti-itch lotion may help. If you are out in the wilderness with no commercial remedy available, look for jewelweed, also called spotted touch-me-not, a pretty orange or yellow flower that blooms from July until frost, and rub the plant juices on your skin.
Leave a Reply