MightyMightyWilkins Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Hi Everyone! We're new to this and having a GREAT time!!! But I really have a fear of poison ivy. I've had it before, and just can't seem to recognize the threat! (I wish they looked like stinging nettles, those I know! And maybe if the symptoms showed up sooner so I could pin down the when and where!!! But they look like every other plant I see!!!) So I took a couple of pics on my phone... Can anyone let me know if I need to fear these pics? Thanks!!! Thanks again! (Any hints for identification would also be super appreciated!!!) Nomi >^,,^< Quote Link to comment
+mpilchfamily Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Leaves of three let it be. The side leaves will always look like a deformed version of the middle. Almost like its half of the middle leaf. http://www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/toxra.htm Quote Link to comment
+Indotguy Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Yep that's Poison Ivy. You can protect yourself somewhat by trying to be aware of it and taking action as soon as possible after exposure. Rinse the exposed area with soap and cold water. Rubbing Alcohol also works to remove the irritating oil and commercial Poison Ivy washes are available. Be aware that the oils from the plant can remain viable for some time on clothing and animal fur. This means that if you and your dog walk thru a patch of Poison Ivy you could be exposed to the oil on the dogs fur or from the clothes you wore. Hi Everyone! We're new to this and having a GREAT time!!! But I really have a fear of poison ivy. I've had it before, and just can't seem to recognize the threat! (I wish they looked like stinging nettles, those I know! And maybe if the symptoms showed up sooner so I could pin down the when and where!!! But they look like every other plant I see!!!) So I took a couple of pics on my phone... Can anyone let me know if I need to fear these pics? Thanks!!! Thanks again! (Any hints for identification would also be super appreciated!!!) Nomi >^,,^< Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 (edited) Yest that is PI. Another giveaway is the presence of "hairy" vines on nearby trees. Other plants have hairy vines, but if you see them there is a good chance it is PI. If you come in contact with it, wash with Tecnu when you get home. It's expensive but worth it. That or wash thoroughly with cool water. Before I discovered Tecnu I would soap myself up and rinse over and over again for about 10-15 minutes. With Tecnu I apply, rinse and I'm done. Edited August 27, 2011 by briansnat Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Great photos! Remember those leaves, and you'll soon be an expert at identifying and avoiding them. Poison ivy has thick hairy vines that climb trees, and it even grows out like a tree branch at times. Quote Link to comment
+AmphibianTrackers Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Every new cacher I take out I make learn the saying, "Leaves of three leave them be, leaves of 5 you will survive." I make them repeat it throughout the day and show them examples when we come across it. I am glad to learn the tips from the other posters. Quote Link to comment
+Coldgears Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Poison Ivy doesn't bother me. I've been getting PI since the age of 8. I learned by the age of 10 the trick. Don't itch it and it will go away. I never itch ANY of my itches. I haven't itched myself for years, even if I'm 99.9 percent sure it isn't PI. Still doesn't change the fact I've lived 80% of my life with PI. I have it 5-6 days of the week. I just go in the woods too much to worry about PI anymore. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Poison Ivy doesn't bother me. I've been getting PI since the age of 8. I learned by the age of 10 the trick. Don't itch it and it will go away. That sure doesn't work for me. By the time I notice any reaction, it's become a nicely inflated rash of blisters on arms and hands, usually localized to a few patches. If I'm real lucky, I haven't spread the poison everywhere else on my body by then. Every instance, it's a little worse. I just go hunting in the woods for both. There's the Geocache. And here & here is the Geopoison. Which I leave be. Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Now that you know what Poison Ivy looks like, google Giant Hogweed, Fire Ants, Wasps, angry Racoons and Skunks etc., as you'll likely encounter those at some point of your geocaching journey, lol. Quote Link to comment
jholly Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Now that you know what Poison Ivy looks like, google Giant Hogweed, Fire Ants, Wasps, angry Racoons and Skunks etc., as you'll likely encounter those at some point of your geocaching journey, lol. And don't forget bears, cougars and down right unpleasant goats. Oh, did I mention snakes? Quote Link to comment
+Coldgears Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Now that you know what Poison Ivy looks like, google Giant Hogweed, Fire Ants, Wasps, angry Racoons and Skunks etc., as you'll likely encounter those at some point of your geocaching journey, lol. And don't forget bears, cougars and down right unpleasant goats. Oh, did I mention snakes? Not if you never go into Bear Country. I never go to NJ because of the bears. Quote Link to comment
+JL_HSTRE Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 That's some big poison ivy! Watch out not only for live posion ivy, but also for dead poison ivy which can give you a bad outbreak too. If you do get poison ivy, I really like a product like Ivarest. "Leaves of three leave them be, leaves of 5 you will survive." I thought "leaves of five" is poison oak? Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 (edited) I thought "leaves of five" is poison oak? "Leaves of five" is Virginia creeper (or similar), which also grows along the ground and up trees. Harmless, but individual leaves can look very similar to poison ivy. Around here is another plant called "poison sumac", which is a shrub with urushiol just like poison ivy has. But if you just watch what you're doing, you're fine. Gotta get those caches! Edited August 27, 2011 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+popokiiti Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Glad Giant Hogweed has been mentioned - keep well away! You'll see why when you Google it... Quote Link to comment
+Harry Dolphin Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Now that you know what Poison Ivy looks like, google Giant Hogweed, Fire Ants, Wasps, angry Racoons and Skunks etc., as you'll likely encounter those at some point of your geocaching journey, lol. And don't forget bears, cougars and down right unpleasant goats. Oh, did I mention snakes? Not if you never go into Bear Country. I never go to NJ because of the bears. And, you'll miss lots of great caches! I've only replaced three bear chew toys so far this yer... Quote Link to comment
+Indotguy Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 Scratching a Poison Ivy rash will not cause it to spread unless you happen to have the plants oils on your fingers or under your fingernails. The liquid in the blisters is pus and will not spread the rash. How quickly a rash develops can depend on where the contact was made. For example, Poison Ivy contact on the fingers and arm might result in a rash on the fingers sooner than on the arm. Scratching is not good and can lead to infection. If you are sensitive to Poison Ivy do some research and don't rely on hearsay. Quote Link to comment
+BlueDeuce Posted August 27, 2011 Share Posted August 27, 2011 (edited) A trail or parking area with a mowed edge will often encourage PI growth. Long pants and a walking stick is the best defense. Edited August 27, 2011 by BlueDeuce Quote Link to comment
MightyMightyWilkins Posted August 28, 2011 Author Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Wow, thanks everyone for the replies and advice! Now I need to change my "found" log post to include the warning! I would say that the one cache had a carpet of this stuff for 10's of meters around. I've never seen so much, which is why my husband didn't think it was poison ivy... it looked so common to the entire area! The trail itself is an old railway track, with the tracks pulled up, and "trail gravel" put down. Both sides flanked with this poison ivy. Maybe enough that the city should put up a warning! I know we all got poison ivy from these caches (I was the last to arrive on the scene... "uh, guys...") The good news... Now I finally feel confident in identifying it!!! But I'll need to wait another day or two to find out how bad the bad news is... Edited August 28, 2011 by MightyMightyWilkins Quote Link to comment
+edscott Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yes, but it doesn't look very healthy. As you go south it gets better... [] Quote Link to comment
+A & J Tooling Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 It's never bothered me. Some of us are just lucky. Quote Link to comment
Bryan_T Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I think that's poison ivy, the leaves here in north Texas are a bit different. But a good general rule is the " leaves of three, let it be" that has been mentioned. We also have bullnettle, chiggers, poison oak, poison sumac, and lots of animals here that can be a real pain if you catch them! Quote Link to comment
+blb9556 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Once I found a cache that was in a poison ivy bush,against a tree with the vines going up it. Didn't wash, kept caching for 5 hours and no PI. Walked thru it countless times and haven't ever gotten it. Same thing with other members of the family. Guess I was born to be a cacher Just wish I could share that attribute with everyone else. Quote Link to comment
+frogcooke Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 It's never bothered me. Some of us are just lucky. I just got a cache yesterday that the last person dnf'd because of poison ivy. got there and was like, oh, that it? I was expecting the area to be knee deep and covered in it. I walked right up to it in a skirt and flip flops while it was raining. There was grape vines and viginia creeper there too. The PI looked minimal from what i saw. lol I'm always aware of poison ivy and do make a habit of saying, watch out for the poison ivy. But I've tromped through the stuff so many times and never got anything. Neither has the hubby and he could care less where he walks. lol. Quote Link to comment
+larryc43230 Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 (edited) Once I found a cache that was in a poison ivy bush,against a tree with the vines going up it. Didn't wash, kept caching for 5 hours and no PI. Walked thru it countless times and haven't ever gotten it. Same thing with other members of the family. Guess I was born to be a cacher Just wish I could share that attribute with everyone else. When I was in my teens, my cousin Keith and I spent a lot of time in the woods, hiking and camping. I practically slept in the stuff, and never once got the rash. Fast forward 43 years. Within two weeks of my finding my first geocache, I also was gifted with my first-ever case of poison ivy. I found my ninth cache in an old cemetery, hanging on a fence and hidden in the stuff. Thinking I was still immune, I dove right in. Big mistake. A week of misery later, I'd learned my lesson the hard way: You can be immune for years, then suddenly develop a sensitivity. Ever since that first incident, I've taken precautions, including keeping Tecnu nearby in case of exposure. --Larry Edited August 28, 2011 by larryc43230 Quote Link to comment
+t4e Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I know we all got poison ivy from these caches (I was the last to arrive on the scene... "uh, guys...") do you mean everyone has broken out into a rash? Quote Link to comment
+CocoD Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 MightyMightyWilkins - from your caches I see you live near us. All the railtrails around here are full of poison ivy. We have yet to get a rash but we are very careful of it and avoid getting caches that have too much around them. My husband is very paranoid of poison ivy. Other than that, we love to ride our bikes on the railtrails. Quote Link to comment
+briansnat Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 It's never bothered me. Some of us are just lucky. There are two kinds of people, those who are allergic and those who will become allergic. Quote Link to comment
+CocoD Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Check out this cache GC31VW7. It gives a lot of info on poison ivy and is right down the road! Quote Link to comment
mws_1984 Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 If I saw a cache was near it I would completely avoid it. You also would hope people wouldn't knowingly place a cache in an area with poison ivy. I caught a bad case of it moving logs that had been cut down in the woods. I used gloves the day I moved them. Piled them near the road. A month later I load them up with no gloves and I get the poison ivy. Had it so bad I'd wake up itching in the middle of the night. I tried so many things too to help it. I tend to want to stay away from thick woods now if I can help it. Quote Link to comment
+luvvinbird Posted September 1, 2011 Share Posted September 1, 2011 If I saw a cache was near it I would completely avoid it. You also would hope people wouldn't knowingly place a cache in an area with poison ivy. I caught a bad case of it moving logs that had been cut down in the woods. I used gloves the day I moved them. Piled them near the road. A month later I load them up with no gloves and I get the poison ivy. Had it so bad I'd wake up itching in the middle of the night. I tried so many things too to help it. I tend to want to stay away from thick woods now if I can help it. Some people knowingly place caches under bushes in urban parks frequented by unsavory sorts, thereby leaving us to figure out which is the cache and which is trash. Wait till you put your hands on a used c*****m. Give me poison ivy any day! Quote Link to comment
+TL&MinBHIL Posted September 2, 2011 Share Posted September 2, 2011 The trail itself is an old railway track, with the tracks pulled up, and "trail gravel" put down. Both sides flanked with this poison ivy. Maybe enough that the city should put up a warning! That is ideal habitat for poison ivy; along the edges of yards, tree lines, trails, etc. In the open, where grass is abundant, the grass will win out and keep poison ivy from taking root. Deeper into the woods, usually the poison ivy can't get enough sunlight, so it is less likely to grow under a thicker canopy (not to say it CAN'T grow there, because it can). So right along the edge, with plenty of sunlight and no grass to hinder its growth, is where it likes it best. If you know you've been exposed, try to get washed off within the next half hour. By then, the oils have soaked into your skin (I've even read after 15 minutes, its done its damage). If you use water, use cold water because warm/hot water will open up your pours and allow the oils to soak in faster. BUT, if you've already broke out into an itchy rash, washing it with hot water, as hot as you can stand, provides relief for a while. When I get it, I usually use the hot water after a shower, turn the cold completely off and spray the rash with hot. It first feels like an intense itching sensation, but that goes away and (at least for me) actually does provide some serious itch relief. Quote Link to comment
+Team_LPD Posted September 3, 2011 Share Posted September 3, 2011 I think I'm getting a rash and feel itchy just looking at those pics!!! Yes, poison ivy and I do NOT place nice together! Quote Link to comment
+John in Valley Forge Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 I reached into a patch of it today while doing some cache maintenance. Once I realized it, and got back to the boat, I jumped into the river and tried to rub it off as best I could in the cold water. Once I got home a few hours later I got a shower with lots of soap. We will see in a few days if I escaped. Quote Link to comment
+The Waldo's Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 One other thing to think about. Lots of people get poison ivy from there dogs yes from there dogs. Spot goes running around in the stuff gets it all over his fur then there master pats him telling them what a good dog he is and at that point Spot just smiles and wags his tail knowingly. Quote Link to comment
+kwcahart Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 (edited) Sometimes poison oak DOES have five leaves. Google it if you don't believe it. Most of the time it does have three, but it can have five. Poison oak is found mostly on the west coast. Edited September 6, 2011 by kwhart Quote Link to comment
+Team Van Dyk Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Yest that is PI. Another giveaway is the presence of "hairy" vines on nearby trees. Other plants have hairy vines, but if you see them there is a good chance it is PI. If you come in contact with it, wash with Tecnu when you get home. It's expensive but worth it. That or wash thoroughly with cool water. Before I discovered Tecnu I would soap myself up and rinse over and over again for about 10-15 minutes. With Tecnu I apply, rinse and I'm done. +1 Tecnu before outbreak. Zanfel after (if, for whatever reason, you forgot the Tecnu). Both work great and make caching in PI-heavy areas easily manageable.* --Matt *Note: To my knowledge, no one on our "team" is allergic to PI, so if you are, YMMV. Quote Link to comment
+kwcahart Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Where do you buy that stuff, I've looked in the HEB and Wal-mart here and can't find it. Quote Link to comment
+larryc43230 Posted September 6, 2011 Share Posted September 6, 2011 Where do you buy that stuff, I've looked in the HEB and Wal-mart here and can't find it. I get mine from Amazon.com. --Larry Quote Link to comment
Mr.Yuck Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 Yes, but it doesn't look very healthy. As you go south it gets better... I agree! The OP's pic looks like October Poison Ivy or something. Surprised it's looking like that in August even "up" where their finds are from. And heed the Giant Hogweed warnings too, lots of that in Ontario too. Hard to miss though, it's um, Giant. Quote Link to comment
+John in Valley Forge Posted September 7, 2011 Share Posted September 7, 2011 I reached into a patch of it today while doing some cache maintenance. Once I realized it, and got back to the boat, I jumped into the river and tried to rub it off as best I could in the cold water. Once I got home a few hours later I got a shower with lots of soap. We will see in a few days if I escaped. Well, two days later. The arm that reached into the bush is clear (did I mention that the leaves had a coating of river mud all over them from Irene?). The other arm has a short strip of it developing on my elbow. Just a few bumps. No big deal. My ankles are on fire though. I was wearing water shoes and no socks and must have walked right through a bush. Lots of cortizone cream for me. Quote Link to comment
+Bubbles&Bonkers Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 (edited) Oh my gosh, all those pictures look totally different to me. I'm screwed. Edited September 8, 2011 by sweetpea3 Quote Link to comment
+Woodstramp Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 (edited) Oh my gosh, all those pictures look totally different to me. I'm screwed. Sweetpea, Lifelong Poison Ivy sufferer here. I've studied book pics, internet pics, etc. and they've always confused me. On a side note, it is not like I can't identify plants...I can name most any tree I glance at. You get enough exposure to PI you develope a sixth sense. Kind of like when you see a "snakey-looking" place. Just don't "go there". If my GPS is leading to one of those snakey-PI-looking places I just do one of those Catholic cross gestures (even though I'm not a Catholic) and back away. Even if the Devil loaded the cache with gold and Swedish Bikini Team sirens. (Well, I would come back to that one with a Hazmat suit) Edited September 8, 2011 by Woodstramp Quote Link to comment
+cdwilliams05 Posted September 8, 2011 Share Posted September 8, 2011 I myself don't react. One of the few lucky ones. My wife on the other hand, I have to keep a constant look out for it. She can't ID it yet, and almost everytime we go out, if she just looks at it, she breaks out. Quote Link to comment
+Frank Broughton Posted September 9, 2011 Share Posted September 9, 2011 Want to talk about PI guarding a cache! Check this one out. Yes, that is PI all around the tree and the cache is in the tree: Fully ripe, seeds pods and all: Quote Link to comment
+mdplayers Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 As a cacher who get a PI rash from petting cats and dogs that have been in it, I'm lucky to have a hubby who doesn't (at this time) react to it. I have DNF'd caches because of the PI when hubby hasn't been with me. I use Ivy-Dry and hydrocortisone to help calm with itch. It also helps to run HOT HOT water over the effected area for as long as I can tolerate it (usually done right before applying one treatment or the other). I have had to take steroids at least four times in my like due to PI rash. PI can be tricky to identify. I agree with the person saying that you develop a sense about it. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted September 11, 2011 Share Posted September 11, 2011 (edited) Here are poison ivy photos I took while caching today. I got some good close-ups, yet I managed to not get any on me. Edited September 11, 2011 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+Woodstramp Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Stop posting pics,Kunarion. Saw those and started scratching. I won't dare even touch the screen. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted September 12, 2011 Share Posted September 12, 2011 Stop posting pics,Kunarion. Saw those and started scratching. I won't dare even touch the screen. Quote Link to comment
+kunarion Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 (edited) Here are two that are not poison ivy. This one's called "Virginia creeper", it has five leaves, and lives and grows in the same way and the same places that poison ivy does: That one's a problem, since the leaves and vines are so similar. Although Virginia creeper is harmless, poison ivy could be present among it or nearby. These leaves are on a tree branch, I think it's hickory: I don't yet have a photo of wild blackberries to post, but those are also in leaves of three. They have obvious thorns (PI has no thorns). Fortunately, you probably don't need to memorize what's NOT poison ivy. Edited October 15, 2011 by kunarion Quote Link to comment
+dfx Posted October 15, 2011 Share Posted October 15, 2011 Fortunately, you probably don't need to memorize what's NOT poison ivy. It helps though. I'm pretty tired of seeing logs from people claiming that they had to "swim through PI" or similar to get to a cache, when in fact there isn't any. Same with Giant Hogweed. Quote Link to comment
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