Sometimes It's Not Poison Ivy

Poison Sumac 

The majority of the time when someone comes home from an outing in the woods or river bottoms and finds a rash, they usually think they’ve encountered poison ivy. Much of the time they’re right but there are also two other culprits that can cause a rash that is identical to ivy and caused by the same oil on their leaves.

These other plants are Poison Oak and Poison Sumac. While not as common as Poison Ivy they are out there and if you encounter them you’ll end up with an itching rash that will be real uncomfortable for about a week.
 

Poison Oak

Some people react more to the oils and some do not react at all. Calamine lotion is a cheap, effective solution to the itching. Keep your eyes open when hiking but by all means don’t let the fear of these plants keep you from enjoying our great outdoors.

 

Dan Bomkamp - author and host of the radio show "How's Fishing"
http://www.southwest-wisconsin-real-estate.com/