So, is this poison ivy? Or not?

I recognize poison oak no problem, but here in the Midwest they have poison IVY, which I've never seen. But I know I have it on my property, because I have that familiar rash I associate with poison oak.

I've been staring at photos of poison ivy, and not only do none of them look exactly like any plant I have here, none of them look exactly like each other. So obviously poison ivy, like Lady Gaga, has more than one "look."

So tell me, Midwesterners and Easterners and anyone else from the lands where poison ivy roams free... is this or is this not the plant?

Comments

[@ArkLady]

Looks like it to me! I am just recovered from poison oak. Eesh! When you get into those humid areas the plants do well but I always get it from animals. LOL

I have a post coming up on the topic you might invest in some Technu if you don't use it already. Consider sharing the snap with the fire dept or local utility workers since they tend to get it all the time.

[PatP]

It sure looks like poison ivy:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Poison_Ivy_in_Perrot_State_Park.jpg

When we moved up to Lake Arrowhead, we came across stinging nettle. That is a very painful experience.

Enjoy the beauty of your summer home!

[H. Houlahan]

Yes.

It is at the green stage, which is less toxic than when it gets reddish and shiny and leathery, but you can still get it.

This is the stage at which I like to put on gloves and long sleeves and pull it up.

I also only get poison ivy from handling an animal that has been in it.

Most recently from a goat with a wound I was treating. (Rusty barbed wire in the woods, courtesy of the ancient Bubba-Hotep.) I'd put her in a headlock with one arm and clean her cut. At the time the herd was clearing brush, and poison ivy is their favorite. Duh. Nasty case on the inside of my left arm.

Now I take the time to put any goat that needs to be handled (foot trimming, etc.) on the milking stand, in the headstock.

[Bonnie K]

Yeppers... poison oak and ivy look very similar, except for the serrated edges. You can react to one, both, or neither. My husband doesn't react to them. Lucky. I get near it, and get a rash.

[Connie]

I blame global warming effect. Where I grew up on the west side of Michigan there was no poison ivy until 10-15 years ago. There might have been a little before that but not everywhere like it is now. Now here in the Detroit area you have to stay on the paths in the metro parks and don't march off through the greenery.

[TheWeyrd1]

In girl scouts we learned to identify poison ivy by holding our open hands up on each side of our faces representing the 3 leaves. Not sure if that helps, but I avoid those 3 leaf plants like it's...um...poison ivy...heh!

[CathyA]

Not sure, pix not too clear. PI is usually pretty glossy looking. And the leaves are so regularly toothed, it looks strange. OTOH the central leaf has a longer stem than the other two, which is a hallmark for PI.

Here's a good site, if you're not sick of staring at pix!
http://poisonivy.aesir.com/view/picqna.html

[Sam]

Another hallmark for poison ivy is that it is red stemmed.

[Danielle]

It's hard to tell from the picture, but I don't believe poison ivy is quite so serrated. Also, the side leaves of poison ivy have more of a thumb like protrusion on one side. At the nature center we have kids hold up their two hands with wrists crossed to show the side leaves, and double over their hands to form two "thumbs" for the center leaf, kind of like Michiganders holding up their hand as a representation of the state, I guess we find all kinds of uses for our hands :-p http://uvalde.tamu.edu/herbarium/final/tora_wp.jpg You more than likely have P.I. on your property though, it runs rampant around these parts. Watch out for hairy looking vines that climb up trees, that's part of the plant.