Wandering Aimlessly
Poison I-V
by Phil Burkhouse
A great asset to have for a photographer or hunter is a good eye; a good eye is also nice to have when avoiding poison ivy patches. I am very allergic to toxic odendrous radicons, commonly known as poison ivy, and use my eyes to stay as far away from it as possible.
Poison ivy is a poisonous North American flowering plant well known for causing pain—in the form of itching rashes. As with a lot of names it is misnamed since it is not actually a true ivy.
According to a USDA pamphlet the rash is caused by exposure to urushiol, a clear liquid compound in the plant sap. While I am very susceptible to poison ivy, many people are not affected by it. The pamphlet said that fifteen to thirty percent of people have no allergic reaction to poison ivy but that this can change with repeated exposure.