I've known I've had poison ivy in my yard for a couple years, but I get hit by it rarely enough that I didn't do anything more than a cursory examination with little in the way of actual familiarity with the vile plant. I got it again a few weeks ago, though, and decided I'd had enough. Today I did some serious research over lunch, and my suspicions grew as to the location...
I just checked, and I definitely found it. It climbs up the tree in my front yard pretty far, as you can see to the right, and judging by the size of the leaves, is a relatively old vine. At *least* a few years... more than I've been here, anyway. There is more at the base of that same tree growing from the root system that spawned that filthy, horrific vine.
An yet it looks so peaceful and serene in that image to the left, doesn't it? Don't be fooled. It's of the Devil.
If you look closely, you can see the telltale hairy root feelers that keep the vine attached the the tree. Nasty things. They just look evil. I hates them. I truly do.
I pulled quite a bit off that tree out front, and I think my next step is to wash the gloves I was wearing very very very well. If they're not machine washable (I'll be *very* careful when I check), I'll just throw them away. It's not worth it.
I found more along the west side of the house, and more yet on the east side in the wood pile. Three little patches, and one hefty vine. I couldn't find any in the back yard, which would explain why I've never gotten any from Squanto. You'd think, if there were any back there, he'd have gotten it on his fur, and transferred it to me. That hasn't to the best of my knowledge, ever happened. I'm going to count that as a positively Good Thing. I've only ever gotten it from when I, myself, was outside working.
More images in the online album...
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