northeast-flora-and-fauna

Last weekend at Duke Farms the Outdoor Education topic was "Nature's Nasties", mostly focusing on stuff to avoid like Poison Ivy , Stinging Nettle , and Deer Ticks [1]. We weren't exactly sure what to make of the pinkish growths on some of the Poison Ivy growing nearby. (While 1 of the staff theorized they could be some sort of galls - which turned out to be correct - some sort of fungus also sounded feasible.) Of course there's a natural reluctance to handle Poison Ivy to try and figure out what the stuff was, which didn't help the investigation. After getting home, a quick search showed me a webpage with Poison Ivy with almost exactly the same condition, which they attributed to Poison Ivy Gall Mites. (FWIW iNaturalist uses the name Poison Ivy Leaf Mites.) Although I can't imagine that covering a leaf with these galls doesn't have some impact on Poison Ivy's ability to photosynthesize, this article suggests that the galls aren't particula...

Leaves of three, let it be. Hairy rope, don't be a dope. || Hairy vine, no friend of mine. Berries of white, run in fright. || Berries of white, danger in sight. This Eastern Poison Ivy plant does an excellent job of demonstrating plant's hairy vine appearance. Leaves, vines, and berries of this plant all contain urushiol (YOO-roo-shee-awl), a durable chemical that usually causes an allergic reaction when it penetrates the skin. If anything, this picture illustrates the hairiness too well; I frequently see thinner vines with far subtler degrees of hairiness. We actually eat seeds of some Eastern Poison Ivy relatives: cashews , pistachios , and mangoes . They all have urushiol or a very similar skin-irritating chemical, though apparently not in the parts we eat. September 26, 2022 at Washington Valley Park Photo 248785401, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)