Our children love to play outside in the fresh air and they have no trouble playing dirty. They will crawl, run, and walk through the shrubbery and trees scattered around the yard and won’t even pay attention to what kind of plants they are coming into contact with. It is up to us to learn how to identify the poison ivy plant and to teach them how to as well.
The poison ivy plant is a woody type shrub or vine that is commonly hairy and has flowers or berries growing from it. It can grow ten feet and is able to climb along trees, fences, walls, and trails on the ground. This plant will grow through much of North America and parts of Canada. In most cases you will only find it in wooded areas but you might find some in exposed rocky areas, and open fields.
The leaves of the plant are the most common characteristics that we are able to recognize. During the spring and summer they are able to blend in well with their surroundings with their light to dark green colors. When fall arrives those leaves will change to red, yellow, and orange.
Each leaflet is between three to twelve centimeters long and have little to no teeth along the edges of it. They grow in clusters of three – which is their most defining feature. The most common saying that we can teach to our children to help them remember what to look for is, “leaves of three let them be”.
Poison Ivy Identification
- They can be found near lakes and streams in the Eastern and Midwestern region. Will also be found growing along roadsides and hiking trails
- It can grow in the form of a shrub on the ground that is trailing, a free standing shrub, or a hairy, woody vine that grows on fences, walls, and trees
- Leaves are green in the summer and red, orange, or yellow in the fall
- Might have white berries and yellow or green flowers
- Has three groups of leaves on one stem that will alternate in groups of three to nine.
Poison Ivy Pictures
We have provided a few poison ivy pictures that will help make it easier for you to identify it.
