An Irritating Experience

By Torin Yeager
Sun contributor
Picture this scenario: a boy, his dog, and his little sister walking peacefully along a path through the woods near the shore of Lake Michigan. The boy tosses a fair-sized stick into the brambles surrounding the path, and the dog, ever enamored by wood, goes howling in after it. After chasing a few squirrels and leaving his mark on a few trees, the canine in question returns to his boy, proudly lofting the wrong stick. The boy congratulates his four-legged friend just the same with a nice pat on the head, and then throws the stick once more. Meanwhile, the little sister is playfully romping through the woods off the trail. She spots some pretty flowers, and, remembering her mother’s love of pretty plants, picks the lot of them. She then tramples back through the undergrowth to the trail. The boy laughs dismissively at the tangle of flowers squashed in the hands of his sister, and then calls the dog. The trio heads back to the trailhead to enjoy a family picnic with the rest of the crew.

As the boy dives into a scrumptious meal of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, his mother ties his sister’s shoes for the fifth time that day. The boy’s father throws a Frisbee to the ever-energetic dog, patting the playful pup after each successful catch.
That evening, at the family cottage, the boy’s hands feel irritated, so he wipes them on his legs. Much better, but a few minutes later, his legs itch. The little girl complains loudly to her mother about itchy legs as she scratches them violently. The mother rubs her temples with her own irritated hands, willing her daughter to be silent for once. As the tension rises higher, the father is taking a nice cool shower, happily wondering what the next day will bring.
The next day brings interesting news indeed. The little girl’s legs are a bright shade of pink from a night of scratching. The boy’s legs are a similar color, no doubt due to a fit of vigorous scratching as well. The mother has a rash on her face and hands, and she feels no better even after sleeping in past 10 o’clock. The father, on the other hand, feels perfectly normal and ready to face the day, and the dog simply wishes to chase more sticks. What has just happened to an otherwise relaxing vacation?
Annoying events like this occur many times each summer, and the culprit lurks in the shadowy depths of the woods and other plant-hosting areas of Leelanau County. This fiendish member of the environment is none other than Rhus radicans, known colloquially as poison ivy. Poison ivy produces an oil that causes skin irritation, but how did a little plant wreak so much havoc on a family trip to northern Michigan? A closer look at the events leading up to this vacation nightmare reveal that the answer is not so invisible as it seems.
The faithful dog chased the stick thrown by the boy straight into a thicket next to the trail, a prime habitat for poison ivy. As the dog rolled around in the brush, it probably rubbed against some ivy, where the irritating oil stuck to his fur. The little girl was running through the woods, where she could have gone right through a lush patch of ivy without noticing. So far, we have two infected vacationers, although they have not yet felt the symptoms. The dog’s fur protects his skin from direct contact with the poison ivy, but the oil is still on him. The boy pats the dog on the head, thus transferring some oil to his hands. Now there are three unwilling carriers of ivy oil.
At the picnic site, the little girl’s mother ties her shoelaces. Poison ivy oil could stick to an article of clothing such as shoes, so now the mother has oil on her hands. The father pets the dog while playing Frisbee, and he also receives a dose of oil on his hands.
At the cottage, the boy rubs his hands on his legs, spreading oil there. The mother and daughter both do similar things, and, by morning time, the three of them are covered in rashes. This is all easily explainable, but what of the father? During the evening, he took a shower only a few hours after getting the poison ivy oil. Being the tough guy he is, he neglected to rub his irritated hands on anything, and now the soapy water in the shower washes them clean. Any other areas that may have come into contact with the oil are also washed, removing all the last remnants of poison ivy.
This whole episode could have easily been avoided if only the family had known what poison ivy looks like and how its oil can be transferred. “Leaves of three, let it be”, is a popular adage, and it holds true for most forms of poison ivy. Poison ivy inhabits the edges of woods and beaches, growing alone, in a clump, as a vine, or even as a bush, but all these types have clusters of three leaves. The leaves are somewhat reddish and shiny when they are new, but progress to a duller sheen. Hiking trails and beaches are a favorite habitat of this malicious plant. Dogs are supposed to be on a leash in the National Parks, but even when that rule is obeyed, our canine friends have an uncanny ability to get into the bushes alongside the trail. If there is any reason to suspect that a pet has been in poison ivy, a good preventive measure would be to towel the creature down. Throwing the towel away afterwards wouldn’t hurt either, as cloth can harbor the oils for many weeks, or longer.
If you do recognize poison ivy while hiking, stay away from it. Unfortunately, recognition has a tendency to hit you after the fact. Do not scratch! Wash your hands first, then the infected area, then wash some more. Cortizone and Calamine might help as well, but the best defense is to recognize poison ivy before you enter it, as the rashes and itches developed can vary from bad to worse. Even if poison ivy has not affected you before, there is no point in pressing your luck.
In the spirit of learning through repetition, the best defense is to recognize poison ivy before you come in contact with it. There are plenty of medicinal remedies that work for some people, but as stated before, it’s better to just recognize and avoid. More information about poison ivy can be found at www.poison-ivy.org.