It's official—summer has arrived! If you’re living east of the Rocky Mountains, you might have noticed a lot of clustered greenery along your favorite hiking trails and in your backyard. Knowing what to avoid when working in the yard and while walking through the woods will save you from weeks of red, itchy rashes called allergic contact dermatitis.
The first rule of identifying poisonous plants is, “leaves of three, leave them be.” Following this will help keep you out of harms way, but it’s not fool proof. Poison ivy and its relatives often grow among other lush green ground and tree creepers. Because they like to grow in dense areas, you might not even notice them until its too late. They have a knack for blending in!
Poison oak has leaves that look like oak leaves, usually with three leaflets but sometimes up to seven leaflets per leaf group. It grows as a vine or a shrub. Poison oak is more common in the western United States, but it is also found in the eastern states and, rarely, in the Midwest.
Poison sumac has 7 to 13 leaflets per leaf stem. The leaves have smooth edges and pointed tips. Poison sumac grows as a shrub or small tree. It is found in wooded, swampy areas, such as Florida and parts of other southeastern states, and in wet, wooded areas in the northern United States.
Poison ivy usually has three broad, spoon-shaped leaves or leaflets ("Leaves of three? Let it be!"), but it can have more. It may grow as a climbing or low spreading vine that sprawls through grass (more common in the eastern United States) or as a shrub (more common in the northern United States, Canada, and the Great Lakes region).
