Poison Ivy Blog: White Rock Lake

Here in Texas, we have a vigorous growing season in springtime, especially when it comes to certain species.

Oh well, it looks great anyway. Along side the hundreds of miles of hike&bike trails you might find in the area, you'll find a lot of poison ivy, poison oak, and poison sumac. Does this guy have any clue how close he is getting?

This is what it looks like, close up.

How can you tell?

• "Leaves of three, Let it be!"
• Another thing I look for is reddish stems. Not always a sign, but seems to help me spot it.
• In older more established plants, the trunk vines get kind of "hairy".

Which one is it?

• Poison Ivy?
• Poison Oak?
• Poison Sumac?

I have no idea. I do well just to spot the leaves of three in time to stay away from it.