northeast-flora-and-fauna

Most of us are familiar with the warning: Leaves of three, let it be . Some of us are also aware of the companion warning: Hairy rope, don't be a dope . But beyond these identifications for Poison Ivy , you should also be careful of their berries. I only IDed these berries because: I knew there was Poison Ivy in the area because I had been helping remove invasive plants around there in the summer. And when I followed the berry stem, I found the "hairy rope". Poison Ivy is in the cashew family aka sumac family , and the allergic reaction it causes in humans is from a substance called urushiol  (pronounced sort of like you-ROO-shee-awl). I'm told it only affects humans, though I've wondered whether other primates would be affected if there were any roaming the North American woods. [1] Here's a shot of its berries, though they look pretty old at this point. They are considered to be a nutritious food for birds in the winter, when food like insects is hard to com...

Here's some Poison Ivy I encountered. Most of you have probably heard the phrase: Leaves of three, Let it be. This is a common mnemonic device to remind you how to identify, and usually avoid, Poison Ivy. But Poison Ivy takes another form, one that's a potential threat when there are no Poison Ivy leaves along trails, and it's the hairy climbing vine you see going up this tree. And it has it's own mnemonic device: Hairy rope, Don't be a dope. My impression is that this isn't a subspecies of the Poison Ivy you've learned to avoid. This is just what Poison Ivy looks like if it's give a few years to climb.  March 9, 2021 at the Raritan River Greenway Photo 127677958, (c) jpviolette, some rights reserved (CC BY-NC)