If we look at the picture below, you'll see three different 3-leaf clusters. Confusing, right? The key to poison ivy is that on the plant/vine, there are
only three leaf clusters, and those leaves have serrated (jagged) edges with a fine point. So in the picture below, poison ivy is in the bottom right corner. If you look further down the stems of the other two plants, there are pairs of leaves that accompany the 3-leaf groupings.
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| Which is the poison ivy? |
Interestingly, poison ivy will also start at the base of a tree and become a large, fuzzy vine that runs up the tree toward sunlight. These will have large, mature leaves and white-to-purple berry clusters like the one below. Pretty, but definitely something we want to avoid.
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| Poison Ivy vine with mature leaves and berries |
Another topic of wonder, and concern, in the Spring is the abundance of baby wildlife. This picture below was taken in a tree near Morreene Rd. in Durham. A significant concern is that well-intentioned folks see baby birds, deer or other animals without a mother present, make an assumption that the babies have been abandoned or the mother has been killed and take the baby into their care. What we all need to know is that mothers give their children room to grow, explore and learn in order to become capable on their own. You may see a baby deer on it's young legs in your back yard with no adult in sight, but odds are that the mother is watching carefully from a short distance away, camouflaged by her surroundings. So if you see babies in the wild, leave them be, please!
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| Baby robins waiting for mom to bring breakfast |
